Senate Confirms New Veterans Affairs Secretary

The Senate unanimously confirmed Robert McDonald, former CEO of Procter & Gamble, as the new Veterans Affairs secretary. Mr. McDonald will be tasked with overhauling the agency that has been plagued with scandal in the past few months.

Mr. McDonald replaces acting VA secretary, Sloan Gibson, who stepped in after Eric Shinseki resigned in May in the wake of growing concerns regarding long wait times and poor care for veterans.

Mr. McDonald has pledged to transform the VA and promised that the system’s “failures” will be addressed. Patient access to healthcare is a top priority, according to Mr. McDonald, along with restoring transparency in the system and bringing accountability and integrity back to the agency.

In addition to the Senate’s decision on Mr. McDonald, Congress is also expected to approve a $17 billion bill aiming to refurbish the VA and improve care for veterans. Components of the bill include helping veterans to see a healtcare provider in a more timely manner, hiring more doctors and nurses to treat veterans, and making it easier to fire senior executives in the agency.

Mr. McDonald is a former Army Ranger whose father served in the Army Air Corps after World War II. He said that taking care of veterans “is personal” for him.—Kerri Fitzgerald