The Senate confirmed the nomination of Denis McDonough as President Joe Biden's chief of the Department of Veterans Affairs in an 87-7 vote on Monday.
Seven Republicans voted against McDonough's confirmation, Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Rick Scott of Florida and Roger Marshall of Kansas. Senators voting against a VA secretary nominee is unusual. Previously, only one nominee faced such opposition -- McDonough's predecessor, Robert Wilkie. Nine senators voted against Wilkie in 2018.
McDonough previously served as former President Barack Obama's White House chief of staff and as his deputy national security adviser, including during the 2011 Navy SEAL raid that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.
He is not a veteran and does not have a record of any military service in his immediate family, something critics have questioned. With his confirmation, McDonough becomes only the second non-veteran to lead the department.
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Advocates have praised his management capabilities and government expertise as skills necessary to lead the sprawling VA bureaucracy, the second-largest federal agency, eclipsed only by the Pentagon in terms of budget and personnel.
"It is true that I am not a veteran. But in my years of my public service, I have had a privilege afforded to relatively few Americans: I’ve seen up close – and been deeply moved by -- the excellence, talents and dedication of our men and women in uniform," he told members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, describing visiting service members in Afghanistan and Iraq, spending time with the wounded and visiting Dover Air Force Base, where fallen troops return home.
"Most of all, like every American, I owe a profound debt of gratitude to those who have worn the cloth of our nation," McDonough said. "It would be a tremendous honor to serve our veterans and their families, caregivers, and survivors by leading the VA — to ensure our nation serves them as well as they have served us."
McDonough was credited with helping Obama attempt to bridge divides in Congress, including for the Veterans Choice Act, which opened more opportunities for veterans to seek care outside VA paid for by the department. Since then, the expired Choice Act has been replaced by the Mission Act, signed into law by former President Donald Trump. As Obama's chief of staff, McDonough oversaw the response to the 2014 wait-time scandal at VA.
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McDonough told Senate lawmakers nearly two weeks ago his priorities, if confirmed, would be to provide veterans "timely, word-class healthcare" and "timely access to their benefits" as well as "honoring our veterans with their final resting place and lasting tributes to their service."
At the same time, McDonough said the president asked him to specifically focus on five major issues facing VA, the second-largest federal department and the largest healthcare system in the country.
Biden asked McDonough to focus on:
- Getting veterans through the pandemic;
- Helping veterans "build civilian lives of opportunity" through education and job training;
- Ensure that VA welcomes all veterans, "including women veterans, veterans of color and LGBTQ veterans;"
- Work to eliminate veteran homelessness and reduce veteran suicide;
- "Keeping faith with our families and caregivers."
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said he was confident McDonough's "decades of experience at the highest levels of government make him well-qualified to take on the job."
"Veterans need someone like Denis fighting in their corner," Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester, D-Montana, said on the floor Monday. "There is simply too much at stake."
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Tester vowed that Congress would hold McDonough accountable on the biggest issues veterans face today, including the pandemic, access to VA health care, toxic exposures, women veteran's care, caregiver support and more.
"Now more than ever," Tester said, veterans need a "strong leader" who will focus on meeting their needs rather than attempts to score "political points."
McDonough was expected to face a smooth confirmation process, particularly after the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee leaders, Tester and Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, indicated their support.
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Reach Abbie Bennett: abbie@connectingvets.com or @AbbieRBennett.
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