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David Shulkin
David Shulkin served as the ninth secretary of veterans affairs. He was a member of President Donald Trump’s (R) administration.
He was chosen by Trump to serve as his secretary of veterans affairs on January 11, 2017. The Senate confirmed Shulkin by a vote of 100-0 on February 13, 2017. He was the only one of Trump's initial Cabinet picks to be unanimously confirmed.[1]
He was removed from the position by Trump on March 28, 2018. Trump wrote in a tweet, "I am pleased to announce that I intend to nominate highly respected Admiral Ronny L. Jackson, MD, as the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs. In the interim, Hon. Robert Wilkie of DOD will serve as Acting Secretary. I am thankful for Dr. David Shulkin’s service to our country and to our GREAT VETERANS!"[2][3]
Shulkin, a former healthcare executive, served as the department's undersecretary for health in the Obama administration.[4]
The secretary of veterans affairs oversees the following agencies: the National Cemetery Administration, the Veterans Benefits Administration, and the Veterans Health Administration.
Biography
Shulkin was born on June 22, 1959, in the suburbs of Highland Park, Illinois.[5] After graduating from Hampshire College in 1982, Shulkin attended the Medical College of Pennsylvania, receiving his M.D. in 1986. He went on to study business at the University of Pittsburgh and spent time researching the cost of healthcare as a clinical scholar with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.[6] He served in a number of healthcare administrative roles, including as president of New York's Beth Israel Medical Center and Morristown (Pennsylvania) Medical Center.[7]
In June 2015, Shulkin was confirmed as the undersecretary for health in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. His chief responsibility was to oversee the VA's healthcare system.[8]
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Shulkin's academic, professional, and political career:
- February 14, 2017-March 28, 2018: Secretary of Veterans Affairs
- July 6, 2015-February 13, 2017: Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health
- 2010-2015: President of Morristown Medical Center
- 2005-2009: President and CEO of Beth Israel Medical Center
- 2004-2006: Chief medical officer of Temple University Hospital
- 2004-2005: Chair of medicine at Drexel University School of Medicine
- 2002-2004: Chief medical officer of Medical College of Pennsylvania
- 1991-1999: Chief medical officer of University of Pennsylvania Health System
Experience at the VA
- In June 2016, Shulkin commented on some of the modifications he had helped install in the VA’s healthcare system. He said that they had focused on analytics to help better understand which patients needed urgent care. They also focused on instituting telehealth services for veterans in remote areas and emphasizing leadership training for VA employees.[9]
- Shulkin stressed the need for further collaboration between the private sector and the VA health system. In May 2016, he said, “We provide a different model of care, which treats the physical along with the psychological, the social, and the economic aspects of health, all of which contribute to the well-being of the patient. … It's become clear that the VA alone can't meet all of the health-care needs of veterans. We have to work more closely with the private sector.”[10]
Secretary of veterans affairs
Confirmation vote
On February 13, 2017, the Senate voted 100-0 to confirm Shulkin as secretary of veterans affairs.[1]
| David Shulkin confirmation vote, February 13, 2017 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes for  |
Votes against  |
Total votes |
 Democrats |
46 | 0 | 46 |
 Republicans |
52 | 0 | 52 |
 Independents |
2 | 0 | 2 |
| Total Votes | 100 | 0 | 100 |
Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs vote
The Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs held a confirmation hearing for Shulkin on February 1, 2017. The committee approved Shulkin's nomination for secretary of veterans affairs on February 7, 2017, by a vote of 15-0.[11]
Issues
- See also: Federal policy on veterans, 2017-2020
| Nomination tracker | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate: David Shulkin | ||
| Position: Secretary of Veterans Affairs | ||
| Confirmation progress | ||
| Announced: | January 11, 2017 |
| Hearing: | February 1, 2017 |
| Committee: | Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs |
| Reported: | February 7, 2017, (15-0) |
| Confirmed: | February 13, 2017 |
| Vote: | 100-0 |
Infrastructure and public-private partnerships
- Shulkin said during his confirmation hearing, “We must continue the progress we have made in reducing Veteran homelessness, and modernize our IT systems to improve our services and efficiencies. We also have to address infrastructure issues and take a closer look at facilities that no longer serve a useful purpose. We must explore expansion of public-private partnerships rather than continue building medical centers that have large cost overruns and take too long to build."[12]
Preventing veterans from committing suicide
- During an interview on July 16, 2017, Shulkin discussed how the VA was working to prevent veterans from committing suicide. He said, "The issue of veterans suicide is our number one clinical priority in the Department of Veterans Affairs, and it’s really the only clinical priority that I talk about as our major focus. ... This is an unacceptable statistic that 20 veterans a day are taking their life to suicide. So we are going to do everything that we possibly can. We’re reaching out to community groups, to academic groups. We’re doing research in this area. We’re trying new therapies and treatments. And I certainly hope that we can have a big impact on this problem. I can’t commit that I know exactly everything that’s going to work, but I can commit that we’re going to do everything possible to try to get that number down to zero."[13]
Prioritizing the VA
- During an interview with The Wall Street Journal and the Military Times on April 14, 2017, Shulkin discussed Trump's prioritization of the VA and the hiring freeze.[14]
- On Trump prioritizing the VA: Shulkin said, “I think the big change is in the administration and who the president is. The president right now has made veterans reform—and making sure we fix the problems in VA—a top priority. ... The country has changed. And fortunately the issue about fixing the VA has risen to the top of that.”
- On the hiring freeze hurting the VA: Shulkin said, “We did have an administrative freeze. So we did have a negative impact on our ability to process claims as people left jobs, and we were unable to fill them.”
Privatizing the VA
- During an interview with The Wall Street Journal and the Military Times on April 14, 2017, Shulkin said that although he opposed privatizing the VA, he did want to allow veterans to seek care from private doctors if the VA could not serve them. He said, “Where the VA isn’t doing it as well, I want veterans going to the private sector."[14]
- During his confirmation hearing, Shulkin said that he opposed privatizing the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. He said in his opening statement, “There will be far greater accountability, dramatically improved access, responsiveness and expanded care options, but the Department of Veterans Affairs will not be privatized under my watch. If confirmed, I intend to build a system that puts Veterans first and allows them to get the best possible health care wherever it may be – in VA or with community care.”[12]
VA inspector general report on Shulkin's travel expenses
According to a February 14, 2018, report from the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Vivieca Wright Simpson, Shulkin's chief of staff, altered an email to make it appear that Shulkin was going to receive an award from the Danish government so that his wife could travel to Europe with him using taxpayer dollars. The VA paid $4,312 in airfare for Shulkin's wife. The investigation also found that Shulkin improperly accepted tickets to a Wimbledon tennis match and used a VA aide to coordinate his social activities while on the 10-day trip.[15]
Shulkin called the report “entirely inaccurate” and said it “reeks of an agenda. It is outrageous that you would portray my wife and me as attempting to take advantage of the government."[15]
During an interview with USA Today, Shulkin said that “there was never anything intentional. We act with the highest ethical character. ... I believe that I relied upon the processes that are there, you know, what every Cabinet secretary has to rely upon their staff to do this work. And in retrospect I wish that I had asked more questions.” Shulkin also said that he reimbursed the government for the cost of his wife’s airfare and would reimburse the person who gave him the Wimbledon tickets.[16]
In response to the report, Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) called for Shulkin to resign. He wrote in a tweet, "It's exactly corruption and abuses like this that doesn't help our veterans. @SecShulkin must RESIGN now."[17]
Three veterans groups—The American Legion, AmVets, and Vietnam Veterans of America—urged Trump to keep Shulkin in his position as head of the VA.[18]
On February 20, 2018, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked if Trump had confidence in Shulkin. She said, “I have no reason to believe otherwise. As we have said many times before, if somebody doesn’t have the confidence of the president, you will know.”[19]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Shulkin and his wife, Dr. Merle Bari, have two children.[20]
See also
- Donald Trump potential high-level administration appointments
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- Ronny Jackson
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Senate.gov, "On the Nomination (Confirmation David J. Shulkin, of Pennsylvania, to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs )," accessed February 13, 2017
- ↑ Twitter, "Donald J. Trump," March 28, 2018
- ↑ The Hill, "White House and Shulkin at odds over whether he resigned," April 1, 2018
- ↑ Department of Veterans Affairs, "David Shulkin," accessed January 11, 2017
- ↑ U.S. News & World Report, "10 Things You Didn't Know About David Shulkin," February 9, 2017
- ↑ All Gov, "Undersecretary for Health, Department of Veterans Affairs: Who Is David Shulkin?" March 30, 2015
- ↑ NJ.com, "Obama picks Morristown Medical Center president to fix scandal-scarred Veterans Affairs," March 19, 2015
- ↑ Navy Times, "Senate approves new VA health care chief," June 23, 2015
- ↑ Federal Times, "Shulkin outlines progress at the VA," accessed January 13, 2017
- ↑ Philly.com, "Can Philadelphia's David Shulkin cure the VA?" accessed January 13, 2017
- ↑ Veterans.Senate.gov, "Isakson, Tester Applaud Committee Approval of Dr. David Shulkin as VA Secretary," accessed February 9, 2017
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Veterans.Senate.gov, "Testimony of Dr. David Shulkin," accessed February 8, 2017
- ↑ The Hill, "VA secretary vows to bring down veteran suicide rate," July 16, 2017
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 The Wall Street Journal, "Veterans Affairs Chief Says Reforms Are Trump Priority," accessed April 14, 2017
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 The Washington Post, "Veterans Affairs chief Shulkin, staff misled ethics officials about European trip, report finds," February 14, 2018
- ↑ USA Today, "VA Secretary David Shulkin regrets travel errors, reimburses government for wife's airfare," February 14, 2018
- ↑ Twitter, "Rep. Mike Coffman," February 14, 2018
- ↑ USA Today, "Veterans groups urge Trump to keep VA Secretary David Shulkin despite travel errors," February 19, 2018
- ↑ The Hill, "White House: Trump has confidence in VA, EPA chiefs," February 20, 2018
- ↑ VA.gov, "Secretary of Veterans Affairs," accessed September 20, 2017
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robert McDonald |
U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs 2017-2018 |
Succeeded by Robert Wilkie |
| |||||||||||||||||||
