{"id":44856,"date":"2018-04-03T12:46:30","date_gmt":"2018-04-03T12:46:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/04\/03\/vets-group-wants-acting-va-secretary-out-calling-his-assignment-a-legal-worry\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:38:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:38:34","slug":"vets-group-wants-acting-va-secretary-out-calling-his-assignment-a-legal-worry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2018\/04\/03\/vets-group-wants-acting-va-secretary-out-calling-his-assignment-a-legal-worry\/","title":{"rendered":"Vets group wants acting VA secretary out, calling his assignment a legal worry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 Officials from one of the nation\u2019s largest veterans groups are calling for President Donald Trump to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2018\/03\/28\/shulkin-out-trump-fires-va-secretary-after-weeks-of-controversy\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">remove the acting Veterans Affairs secretary<\/a> from the post and instead hand over control to the department\u2019s deputy secretary, saying that is \u201cwhat the law calls for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leaders from AMVETS on Tuesday are sending a letter to the White House insisting the change is needed to calm fears of veterans and VA employees in the wake of the firing of David Shulkin last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shulkin, who had been one of Trump\u2019s closest Cabinet members for much of 2017, was dismissed by the president over Twitter after nearly two months of controversy surrounding<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2018\/02\/14\/report-blasts-va-secretary-for-improper-gifts-and-travel-lying-to-cover-up-scandal\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\"> a watchdog report accusing him of ethics violations<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2018\/03\/30\/outgoing-white-house-adviser-disputes-shulkins-accusations-of-va-infighting-conspiracies\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">subsequent infighting among political operatives in the administration<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following Shulkin\u2019s firing, Trump nominated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2018\/04\/02\/white-house-doctor-could-face-the-most-contentious-va-confirmation-process-ever\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">White House physician Ronny Jackson<\/a> as the next VA secretary, and Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Robert Wilkie to serve as acting secretary until the confirmation process is complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the announcement bypassed VA Deputy Secretary Tom Bowman, who was the next in line to take over the top leadership post. White House officials have not addressed the legal justification for a move, saying only that Wilkie has been working in the role since last Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2018\/03\/30\/shulkin-to-military-times-ill-keep-speaking-out-against-va-injustices\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_18066579870562.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Shulkin to Military Times: I\u2019ll keep speaking out against VA \u2018injustices\u2019<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The former VA secretary insists that &quot;if I don\u2019t continue to speak out on behalf of veterans and VA employees, who is going to?\u201d<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Tuesday, AMVETS Executive Director Joe Chenelly said administration officials erred in moving Wilkie from the Pentagon to VA headquarters, and asked for the \u201cleadership situation\u201d to be resolved immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTom Bowman is the person veterans need running the VA in this time of turmoil,\u201d he said. \u201cTom is a retired Marine Corps colonel, highly respected on Capitol Hill and well regarded in the veterans community. This needs to happen now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bowman was also the subject of possible firing rumors earlier this year, as opponents of Shulkin within the administration wrestled with how to deal with high-ranking VA officials they saw as opposing sweeping reform proposals to the department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Multiple sources within VA said they expect Bowman to resign within days, if he isn\u2019t fired first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under current law, the president can fill leadership vacancies with any individual in cases where the current office holder resigns or is unable to perform the job. White House officials have said that Shulkin offered his resignation at the request of the president last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Shulkin, in numerous media appearances since then, has insisted he did not step away from the job voluntarily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI came to fight for our veterans,\u201d he said on NBC\u2019s Meet the Press on Sunday. \u201cAnd I had no intention of giving up. There would be no reason for me to resign.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/26933993979_6e93c5fec7_o.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-84384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/26933993979_6e93c5fec7_o.jpg.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/26933993979_6e93c5fec7_o.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/26933993979_6e93c5fec7_o.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/26933993979_6e93c5fec7_o.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">VA Deputy Secretary Thomas Bowman speaks to a crowd at Washington, D.C. ceremony on Nov. 28, 2017. (Eugene Russell\/Department of Veterans Affairs)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the Trump administration is found to be in violation of federal law in appointing Wilkie to the acting VA secretary post, it could call into question any department decisions he makes. That would mean that any new program starts, contract negotiations or policy changes may be vulnerable to future legal challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chenelly said that uncertainty undermines Trump\u2019s promises to improve and reform the department. Returning Wilkie to the Pentagon and elevating Bowman would limit confusion and bring stability to the now tumultuous department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shulkin is the second VA secretary to be forced out of the office in the last four years. Including Wilkie and the other acting officials, six different men have helmed the $186 billion department since May 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jackson, who\u2019s nomination to the top VA job came as a surprise to most veterans groups, is expected to face confirmation hearings at the end of April or beginning of May.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Officials from AMVETS say the president must follow the law and put the current VA deputy secretary in charge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":84383,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":19,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["veterans","news","retirement-e-report","newsletters"],"primary_category":"veterans"},"4":{"categories":["veterans","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"veterans"},"6":{"categories":["veterans","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"veterans"},"7":{"categories":["veterans","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"veterans"},"8":{"categories":["leadership","management","home","daily-brief","newsletters","acquisition-update"],"primary_category":"leadership"}}},"categories":[100,12,25,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3334],"class_list":["post-44856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-news","category-newsletters","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"SUBU57MZIVBILGF2SK7APFZAHE","arc_canonical_url":"\/veterans\/2018\/04\/03\/vets-group-wants-acting-va-secretary-out-calling-his-assignment-a-legal-worry\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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