{"id":64123,"date":"2020-11-17T18:12:58","date_gmt":"2020-11-17T18:12:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/11\/17\/bidens-pick-for-va-secretary-may-be-a-post-911-veteran\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T11:07:02","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T11:07:02","slug":"bidens-pick-for-va-secretary-may-be-a-post-911-veteran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2020\/11\/17\/bidens-pick-for-va-secretary-may-be-a-post-911-veteran\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden\u2019s pick for VA secretary may be a post-9\/11 veteran"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After nearly two decades of overseas deployments and combat for U.S. service members, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/11\/16\/vas-active-coronavirus-cases-jump-to-more-than-10000\/\" target=_blank>Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a> could be poised to get its first leader with experience serving overseas in the recent wars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The early frontrunners to be the next VA secretary under <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/11\/07\/biden-elected-president-but-trump-disputes-results\/\" target=_blank>President-elect Joe Biden<\/a> include several veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, according to sources connected to transition work for the incoming administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Advocates say such a pick would not only have first-hand knowledge of emerging veterans issues such as burn pits and expanded roles of women in the military, but also potentially provide VA leadership with its youngest top administrator ever.<\/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\/news\/2020\/11\/10\/amid-pandemic-veterans-affairs-secretary-sees-reason-for-both-optimism-and-worry\/\" 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\/AP20189717783094.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\">Amid pandemic, Veterans Affairs secretary sees reason for both optimism and worry<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">In an interview with Military Times, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie defended the department&#039;s response to coronavirus thus far as better than many had predicted.<\/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\">\u201cA veteran from the current wars definitely brings a different perspective to the job, and could help bridge the gap on issues from older generations to the newer ones,\u201d said Jeremy Butler, CEO at Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among the candidates being considered is former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2016\/02\/24\/army-s-new-top-civilian-leader-former-paratrooper-congressman\/\" target=_blank>Pennsylvania Rep. Patrick Murphy<\/a>, former acting Army Secretary and the first Iraq War veteran ever elected to Congress (in 2006).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He served with the Army\u2019s 82nd Airborne Division in Baghdad in 2003 and 2004, and was a major voice on military and veterans issues during his four years on Capitol Hill. He was a key leader in congressional Democrats&#8217; fight to overturn the \u201cdon\u2019t ask, don\u2019t tell\u201d law which barred gay and lesbian troops from publicly discussing their sexual orientation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Murphy\u2019s candidacy has received strong support from several congressional offices in recent days. And officials from the American Federation of Government Employees (the largest federal workers union, representing a majority of VA employees) and the AFL-CIO have also backed his candidacy for the job in conversations with Biden transition officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/03\/15\/this-iraq-vet-turned-democratic-senator-wants-her-party-to-pay-more-attention-to-national-security\/\" target=_blank>Sen. Tammy Duckworth<\/a>, D-Ill., has also been rumored for the job, although convincing her to leave a safe Democratic Senate seat may prove difficult for the new administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Duckworth, a former Illinois National Guard soldier, lost both of her legs in 2004 when insurgents shot down her helicopter in Iraq. She worked in VA leadership as an assistant secretary from 2009 to 2011, before being elected to Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She\u2019s been a vocal leader on defense issues in recent years, particularly critical of restrictions on women in combat and President Donald Trump\u2019s national security policies. Duckworth was under consideration as a possible vice-presidential pick for Biden, and has been discussed as a future Democratic leader on the Senate Armed Services Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two Afghanistan War veterans \u2014 former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/07\/17\/from-mayor-pete-to-commander-in-chief-pete-military-times-interview-with-afghan-vet-turned-presidential-hopeful\/\" target=_blank>Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg <\/a>and former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2019\/07\/28\/jason-kander-is-back-after-quietly-working-through-ptsd\/\" target=_blank>Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander<\/a> \u2014 have also been rumored to be under consideration for the post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both men are viewed as rising figures within the party, and have talked frequently about how their military experience has shaped their post-military public service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If either of those two or Murphy is tapped for the job, VA would have its youngest secretary nominee in department history. Former VA Secretary Jesse Brown was 49 when he assumed the job in 1993. Murphy is 47, Buttigieg and Kander are both under 40.<\/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\/news\/election-2020\/2020\/10\/14\/how-will-trump-and-biden-handle-veterans-issues-heres-what-they-told-us\/\" 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=\"213\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1228795203.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\">How will Trump and Biden handle veterans issues? Here\u2019s what they told us.<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden answer questions from veterans organizations about policy issues affecting the veterans community.<\/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\">Duckworth, 52, could become the first woman to lead the department. Biden has promised to improve services for women veterans at the department, and named several advocates for women\u2019s issues to his VA transition team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Butler said even though a nominee with recent military deployments would bring invaluable experience and sympathy to the post, that trait can\u2019t be the new VA secretary\u2019s only defining characteristic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere are so many skill sets that are unique to being a good VA secretary, maybe more than any other Cabinet position,\u201d he said. &#8220;You need to understand health care. You need to be able to manage a budget of enormous size. You\u2019ve got to deal with other government agencies and programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cA post-9\/11 veteran could bring a lot to the job. But the more important trait is to have a strong set of skills to be able to manage the whole department.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Biden is expected to announce the majority of his Cabinet picks in the next few weeks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former congressman Patrick Murphy and current Sen. Tammy Duckworth are among the names under consideration for the job.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":97854,"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":[]},"categories":[100,23,93,12,25,68,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3334],"class_list":["post-64123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"AFFHF6CQVVDKTNCUMUXKVCHFXE","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/11\/17\/bidens-pick-for-va-secretary-may-be-a-post-911-veteran\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Biden\u2019s pick for VA secretary may be a post-9\/11 veteran - Army Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Former congressman Patrick Murphy and current Sen. 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