The heads of 20 veterans organizations have asked President-elect Donald Trump to keep Bob McDonald as Department of Veterans Affairs’ secretary, Stars and Stripes reported Wednesday.
Nikki Wentling writes the groups said in a Dec. 14 letter to Trump the veterans community “cannot afford to start over†on VA reform efforts such as the MyVA program that McDonald has launched.
Some of the names that have emerged as potential candidates for the VA secretary post include former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Massachusetts); Pete Hegseth, former executive of the Concerned Veterans for America; Mitt Romney, former Republican presidential nominee; Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Florida); and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, Wentling reports.
Got Your 6, AMVETS and 18 other groups said in the letter that modernization efforts at the department under McDonald’s tenure have resulted in better experience for veterans, according to a report by Kellie Lunney for Government Executive.
Bill Rausch, executive director of Got Your 6, said he thinks McDonald’s commitment to veterans and experience as chief executive of Procter & Gamble make him the ideal candidate for the post at VA, Lunney added.
In addition to AMVETS and Got Your 6, other organizations that signed the letter include:
- Community Solutions
- Give an Hour
- Institute for Veterans & Military Families
- Marine Corps Reserve Association
- Military Chaplains Association
- Military Child Education Coalition
- National Association of Drug Court Professionals/Justice for Vets
- National Association of Veteran-Serving Organizations
- National Military Family Association
- Points of Light
- Service Women’s Action Network
- The Mission Continues
- The 6th Branch
- Travis Manion Foundation
- Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors
- Veteran Artist Program
- Warrior-Scholar Project
- Wounded Warrior Project
