{"id":36785,"date":"2018-04-02T18:22:33","date_gmt":"2018-04-02T18:22:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/04\/02\/white-house-doctor-could-face-the-most-contentious-va-confirmation-process-ever\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:15:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:15:46","slug":"white-house-doctor-could-face-the-most-contentious-va-confirmation-process-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2018\/04\/02\/white-house-doctor-could-face-the-most-contentious-va-confirmation-process-ever\/","title":{"rendered":"White House doctor could face the most contentious VA confirmation process ever"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2018\/03\/28\/trumps-surprise-pick-for-the-next-va-secretary-raises-questions\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">Ronny Jackson\u2019s nomination<\/a> to become the next Veterans Affairs secretary could become the most contentious confirmation process since the department was founded 30 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But that\u2019s also a fairly low bar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since the department was elevated to a Cabinet-level post back in 1988, no senator has ever voted against a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2018\/03\/28\/shulkin-out-trump-fires-va-secretary-after-weeks-of-controversy\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">VA secretary pick<\/a>. All of the confirmations have been unanimous or near-unanimous votes (with a handful of lawmakers absent), or procedural votes where no opposition was formally recorded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That includes former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2018\/03\/30\/shulkin-to-military-times-ill-keep-speaking-out-against-va-injustices\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">VA Secretary David Shulkin<\/a>, confirmed by a 100-0 vote in February 2017. His total support from the Senate was frequently touted by President Donald Trump in public appearances, including one just a few weeks before Shulkin was fired by the president over social media on March 28.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In fact, no nominee for a confirmable department post over the last 30 years \u2014 totaling more than 150 individuals \u2014 has ever received a vote of opposition from the Senate, underscoring the non-partisan nature of VA work.<\/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\/28\/trumps-surprise-pick-for-the-next-va-secretary-raises-questions\/\" 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=\"195\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18012779445824.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\">Trump\u2019s surprise pick for the next VA secretary raises questions<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, the White House physician, is a relative unknown in 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\">That means even a single vote against Jackson\u2019s confirmation could send a message of irreversible political division on the once seemingly untouchable approach to the department issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jackson, who retired from the Navy last week as a rear admiral with 23 years of service, was a surprise nominee for the post. He\u2019s an Iraq War veteran who served under three presidents as the top White House medical officer, and is best known for giving Trump a clear bill of health in January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But little is known about his familiarity with the department, which boasts a budget this fiscal year of more than $186 billion and a staff of more than 370,000 employees. Senate Democrats have openly questioned the pick, and hinted he may not receive the same support as past nominees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI admire Dr. Jackson\u2019s service to the nation, but I don\u2019t know if he is the right person to lead the VA,\u201d Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement last week. \u201cThe VA is a large and intricate agency that requires steadfast leadership and an understanding of how to run a complex organization.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-905779040.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-30024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-905779040.jpg.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-905779040.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-905779040.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, physician to President Donald Trump, speaks during the daily White House press briefing on Jan. 26, 2018, at the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House. (Alex Wong\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., is a combat-wounded Iraq War veteran and a frequent critic of the Trump administration. Like Reed, she promised to \u201ccarefully review Dr. Jackson\u2019s qualifications to determine whether he has the best interests of our veterans at heart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But she also accused Trump of wanting \u201cto push VA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2018\/03\/29\/outgoing-va-secretary-shulkin-lashes-out-at-white-house-officials-looking-to-privatize-veterans-care\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">down the dangerous path of privatization<\/a>\u201d and warned that \u201cthe next VA secretary must be able to protect the department from becoming consumed by partisan politics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Former Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., similarly said the Senate \u201cshould not approve any nominee for secretary who supports the privatization of the VA,\u201d a charge which he has also leveled at Trump. The current top Democrat on the committee, Montana Sen. Jon Tester, said simply that he is \u201clooking forward to meeting Admiral Jackson soon and seeing if he is up to the job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Few Republicans in the chamber have offered strong praise for Jackson thus far, though none have offered serious public concerns, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No timetable has been set for the confirmation hearings. Senate officials still have not received the formal nominating paperwork from the White House, which will start the background check and confirmation process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That work typically takes between one and two months. Senate leaders have said they hope to move quickly on the work to ensure a vote on Jackson\u2019s nomination before the summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Confirmation votes by the Senate on VA secretary nominees<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>David Shulkin, 100-0 (Feb. 13, 2017)<\/li><li>Bob McDonald, 97-0 (July 29, 2014)<br><\/li><li>Eric Shinseki, voice vote (Jan. 20, 2009)<br><\/li><li>James Peake, voice vote (Dec. 14, 2007)<br><\/li><li>Jim Nicholson, voice vote (Jan. 26, 2005)<br><\/li><li> Anthony Principi, 100-0 (Jan. 23, 2001)<br><\/li><li>Togo West Jr., voice vote (April 28, 1998)<br><\/li><li>Jesse Brown, unanimous consent (Jan. 23, 1993)<br><\/li><li> Edward Derwinski, 94-0 (March 2, 1989)<span class=\"js-paste-end-6WUVHLNGBVG4XHYT3GJ6BLMKNY\"><br><\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>No VA Secretary pick has ever received an opposition vote in the Senate. Will Dr. Ronny Jackson become the first?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":60605,"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":[101,12,25,67,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3226],"class_list":["post-36785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"RZRX53ZAINAONHFVKWSZHCNXDE","arc_canonical_url":"\/veterans\/2018\/04\/02\/white-house-doctor-could-face-the-most-contentious-va-confirmation-process-ever\/","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>White House doctor could face the most contentious VA confirmation process ever - Marine Corps Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"No VA Secretary pick has ever received an opposition vote in the Senate. 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