By Ben Kesling
WASHINGTON--Members of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs
indicated Tuesday they would endorse Robert McDonald, President
Barack Obama's nominee to take over the VA. A committee vote could
come as soon as Wednesday and a full Senate vote next week.
"Why do you want this job?" asked Chairman Bernie Sanders (I.,
Vt.) after naming a litany of problems facing the Department of
Veterans Affairs and the often acrimonious environment on Capitol
Hill.
"I desperately want this job because I think I can make a
difference," said Mr. McDonald, 61, and a United States Military
Academy graduate.
In his prepared remarks he said, "For me, taking care of
veterans is personal. I come from--and deeply care for--military
families."
If confirmed, Mr. McDonald would take over from Sloan Gibson,
who has been acting as VA secretary since Eric Shinseki's
resignation in late May following revelations of systemic problems
including falsified reports about patient appointment wait
times.
Mr. McDonald was a paratrooper in the Army's 82nd Airborne
Division before beginning a 33-year career at Procter & Gamble
Co., including serving as CEO from 2009 to 2011.
Committee members highlighted Mr. McDonald's long career in the
private sector, with multiple senators touting his experience as a
way to bring necessary fixes to the embattled department.
"You are about to take over a bankrupt corporation," said Sen.
Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.). "The real insolvency is in morale
and management."
Sen. Jerry Moran (R., Kan.) said Congress bears some
responsibility for helping the next VA secretary fix the
department, adding that Congress is just as dysfunctional as the VA
if it fails to pass legislation to help fund and reform the
department.
The House and Senate have both passed versions of bills to fund
fixes to the VA system, including greater ability to access care
from doctors outside the VA system.
The legislation is currently tied up in conference committee, in
part because a Congressional Budget Office estimate the changes
could boost costs by up to $50 billion a year. Acting Secretary
Gibson also asked last week for more than $17 billion more funding
over the next three years.
"While it's been easy to criticize the Department of Veteran
Affairs for their failures for veterans, if we don't reach a
conclusion on this legislation the United States Senate is
deserving that same condemnation, " said Mr. Moran.
Mr. McDonald pledged a new level of transparency with the
senators, even going to far as to say he will give his cell phone
number to the committee members to make sure they are always able
to reach him with their questions. But, he warned, he would hold
Congress to account as well.
"When I give you my cell phone number, I want yours at the same
time," he said.
Ben Kesling and Felicia Schwartz
Write to Ben Kesling at benjamin.kesling@wsj.com
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