Biden to Nominate Denis McDonough for Head of VA
December 12, 2020
President-elect Joe Biden is expected to nominate longtime Obama aide Denis McDonough for Secretary of Veterans Affairs. During the Obama Administration, McDonough served as the President’s chief of staff from 2013 until 2017. An interesting choice, considering the Secretary of VA position traditionally goes to a veteran.
McDonough has not been widely discussed as a leading contender for the position. However, there has been public support for names like Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, and even former Pennsylvania Rep. Patrick Murphy.
Individuals close to the situation say Biden chose McDonough because he feels he is crisis-tested and knows the process of pulling the levers of government. Allegedly, he was also impressed by McDonough regularly visiting Walter Reed National Medical Center and making a point to visit troops in the field while he was deputy national security adviser under former President Obama.
But the decision to not pick a veteran for this position surprised numerous veterans service organizations and leaders who expected the President-elect to continue the tradition of having a war veteran lead the VA. Comments from officials and organization leader’s have included the phrases such as: “out of touch… unqualified… unacceptable.”
One of the key fears many have expressed is the mistrust a large population of veterans have with the Department of Veterans Affairs. A level of mistrust that seems unable to budge with a non-veteran at the helm.
A former Obama administration official who served with McDonough said this “speaks very highly of him that he’s willing to go into that bureaucracy – some might say morass.” A complicated and confusing nomination indeed, but like all previous Secretaries of Veterans Affairs, let’s just hope this one does a better job.