James peake and trump administration
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Former VA secretaries throw their support behind Trump’s latest pick for the job
WASHINGTON — In advance of a confirmation hearing on Wednesday, three former Veterans Affairs secretaries praised White House physician Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson as “eminently qualified” to take over the challenge as President Donald Trump’s latest pick for the post.
Jackson’s nomination has drawn questions from veterans groups and some lawmakers given his lack of experience working with VA, a nearly $200 billion bureaucracy with more than 375,000 employees.
But in a letter to Senate leaders, former secretaries Anthony Principi, James Nicholson, and James Peake praised Jackson’s background as an appropriate fit for reforming the embattled agency.
“With Admiral Jackson’s background of achievement and success, we are confident that he will build his own team of effective leaders to support and assist him in moving the VA forward to serve our veterans in the manner they need and deserve,” the group wrote
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Trump nominates VA insider as next department deputy secretary
WASHINGTON — President Trump on Wednesday nominated Marine Corps veteran Thomas Bowman to serve as the No. 2 ranking appointee at the Department of Veterans Affairs, potentially giving the administration another high-ranking tjänsteman with inre knowledge of the department.
Bowman fryst vatten currently majority staff director for the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee and previously worked in several top posts at the department, including serving as ledare of personal for former secretaries Jim Nicholson and James Peake.
If confirmed, the former colonel will join current VA Secretary David Shulkin in helping run the massive bureaucracy, which oversees more than 350,000 employees and handles benefits for nearly 9 million veterans.
No timetable has been set for when Bowman's nomination may be considered bygd the Senate. But on Wednesday evening, Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., hinted there would b
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Doctor picked to head VA
WASHINGTON — President Bush on Tuesday named a retired Army lieutenant general and executive of a firm that earns most of its revenue from federal veterans programs to head the troubled Department of Veterans Affairs.
The nomination of Dr. James B. Peake, 63, a decorated Vietnam veteran who was the Army’s chief medical officer for four years, was announced by Bush in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. If confirmed by the Senate, Peake will replace James Nicholson, who stepped down Oct. 1.
Peake will insist on “the highest level of care” for veterans, Bush said, adding that the retired lieutenant general, thanks to injuries suffered in Vietnam, “understands the view from both sides of the hospital bed.” He said Peake would be the first physician and the first general to be named to the cabinet post. Peake’s mother and father served in the military medical system.
Peake is the medical director, chief operating officer and a director of QTC Ma