Wave Of Removals, Reassignments At VA Raises Alarms That Staffers Seen Not To Be Trump Loyalists Are Being Purged
The reshuffling is just the latest sign of upheaval at the troubled Veterans Affairs agency, which has been roiled with scandal after scandal.
The Washington Post:
Trump Loyalists At VA Shuffling, Purging Employees Before New Secretary Takes Over
Ahead of Robert Wilkie’s likely confirmation to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, Trump loyalists at the agency are taking aggressive steps to purge or reassign staff members perceived to be disloyal to President Trump and his agenda for veterans, according to multiple people familiar with the moves. The transfers include more than a dozen career civil servants who have been moved from the leadership suite at VA headquarters and reassigned to lower-visibility roles. The employees served agency leaders, some dating back more than two decades, in crucial support roles that help a new secretary. (Rein, 7/18)
The New York Times:
Critics Of Trump’s Veterans Affairs Dept. Raise Concerns About Departures
Amid high-level turnover at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Trump administration critics are expressing alarm over whether politics is playing a role in the recent wave of removals, reassignments and retirements. The department is currently run by Acting Secretary Peter O’Rourke and has been without a Senate-confirmed leader for months. Robert Wilkie, a former acting secretary who also served as the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, has been nominated for the top job by President Trump. If confirmed, Mr. Wilkie would take over the second-largest department in the federal government, overseeing a 360,000-person work force. (Fortin, 7/19)
In other national health care news —
The Wall Street Journal:
HHS Secretary Tries To Reset Agenda Amid Family-Separations Furor
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, whose department has recently become entangled in the fight over separating undocumented children from their families, is pushing to keep focus on his agenda. Mr. Azar took office in January with a set of explicit goals after his predecessor, Dr. Tom Price, resigned under an ethics cloud. Since HHS is charged with caring for underage illegal immigrants, the agency has been pulled into the immigration debate. Now Mr. Azar is trying to keep his agenda moving ahead by relying on a close-knit team of top policy advisers. (Armour, 7/18)
The Hill:
House Dems Launching Medicare For All Caucus
House Democrats are launching an official Medicare for All Caucus in an effort to promote a single-payer health-care bill. The caucus, which will officially be announced Thursday, comes as an increasingly larger number of Democrats warm to the idea. The idea, championed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), is now favored by many potential 2020 Democratic presidential contenders. (Weixel, 7/18)
Stat:
Atul Gawande's First Task As Health CEO: A Listening Tour
Dr. Atul Gawande is hitting the road. In one of his first actions as a CEO, Gawande is planning to travel across the country to meet with the employees he will serve through the health care venture being formed by Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, and Berkshire Hathaway. (Ross and Farber, 7/19)
The New York Times:
Before Roe, New York Was America’s ‘Abortion Capital.’ Where Will Women Turn If Access Shrinks?
In 1971, Pamela Mason was a college freshman living in Ohio when she got pregnant. She knew immediately that she wanted an abortion, but the procedure was heavily restricted in her state. Still, she wanted to find a way. The clinic near her university’s campus referred her to an abortion clinic in Manhattan, and when she was about 10 weeks along, Ms. Mason and her boyfriend scraped together enough money to drive to New York City. (Jacobs, 7/19)
The New York Times:
More Americans Are Dying Of Cirrhosis And Liver Cancer
Deaths from cirrhosis and liver cancer are rising dramatically in the United States. From 1999 to 2016, annual cirrhosis deaths increased by 65 percent, to 34,174, according to a study published in the journal BMJ. The largest increases were related to alcoholic cirrhosis among people ages 25 to 34 years old. (Bakalar, 7/18)