Robert “Bob” McDonald was confirmed as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on July 29 following a 97-0 vote in the U.S. Senate. A former Procter & Gamble CEO, McDonald, 61, of Cincinnati, is also an Army veteran.
The White House issued the following statement from Pres. Barack Obama following the confirmation:
“I applaud the overwhelming, bipartisan confirmation of Bob McDonald as our next Secretary of Veterans Affairs. As a veteran himself and a proud member of a military family, Bob is deeply committed to serving our veterans and their families. And as an executive with decades of private-sector experience, he is uniquely equipped to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, and to help change the way the VA does business. As a country, we have a solemn duty to serve our veterans as well as they have served us. I know Bob will help us honor that commitment and make sure every veteran gets the care they deserve, the benefits they’ve earned, and the chance to pursue the American Dream they’ve risked so much to protect.”
Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, issued the following statement: “In the wake of the biggest scandal in the history of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Bob McDonald certainly has his work cut out for him. In order to be successful, McDonald will need to take swift and decisive action to discipline employees responsible for mismanagement, negligence and corruption that harms veterans while taking bold steps to replace the department’s culture of complacency with a climate of accountability. I look forward to working with him to achieve these objectives.”
