Newly Elected VA Secretary Vows To Fix 'Systematic Failures'

The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee on Wednesday endorsed former Procter & Gamble CEO Robert McDonald to be the new secretary of Veterans Affairs, according to Reuters.

The panel's vote came one day after a nomination hearing in which he faced no opposition, Reuters reported.

Senators said they are eager for McDonald to begin work at the beleaguered agency, which has been plagued by treatment delays and falsified records at VA hospitals and clinics nationwide, according to Reuters.

McDonald, 61, of Cincinnati, has pledged to "transform" the VA and address a series of "systematic failures," including patient access to health care, transparency, accountability and integrity, Reuters reported.

Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the chairman of the Senate veterans panel, said the full Senate could vote on McDonald's nomination as soon as this week, according to Reuters. Sanders, an independent who is chairman of the veterans committee, said after the 14-0 vote that he expects the full Senate to confirm McDonald as secretary of the department within days.

McDonald told the Senate panel that if confirmed by the Senate, he will take a series of actions over his first 90 days "to deliver the needed reforms our veterans deserve," Reuters reported.

He plans to lay out a veteran-centered vision for the department and improve communication within the vast agency, which includes more than 300,000 employees in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, McDonald said, according to Reuters.

His plan includes frequent video conferences with employees and extensive travel to field offices around the country, he said, Reuters reported.

McDonald, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, served as an Army captain in the late 1970s before working his way through the Procter & Gamble ranks, according to Reuters.

"Mr. McDonald brings us two very important qualities," Sanders said, Reuters reported. "Number one, he is familiar with the military because he served for many years and he brings a passion to take care of our veterans."

"The other quality that he brings is that he has been the CEO of a major American corporation and that experience gives him the tools to create a well-run and accountable VA," Sanders added, according to Reuters.

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