Trump ousts Veterans Affairs chief Shulkin, nominates personal physician to replace him

President Trump on Wednesday ousted Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin after turmoil in the agency’s senior ranks generated weeks of unflattering headlines, nominating his personal physician, Rear Adm. Ronny L. Jackson as his replacement.

The president announced the move on Twitter, calling Jackson “highly respected” and thanking Shulkin, a physician and former hospital executive who was the sole Obama-era holdover in Trump’s Cabinet. Robert Wilkie, who serves as an undersecretary at the Defense Department, will serve as acting secretary.

Shulkin’s firing had been expected for weeks as the president, who once considered him a favorite grew disenchanted with him after a travel scandal and months of infighting within the senior ranks at the Department of Veterans Affairs spilled into public view.

Shulkin, 58, went public with claims that Trump appointees on his staff were conspiring to have him removed. The power struggle centered on differences over a shift to offering veterans more medical care from private doctors at taxpayer expense, with conservatives at VA and in the White House pushing for more private care and Shulkin favoring a more moderate approach.

The next VA secretary is likely to favor a shift toward more private care, a goal at odds with many of the traditional veterans advocacy groups.

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