Senate panel postpones hearing for VA nominee: Washington Post

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[April 24, 2018]  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Senate committee has postponed a confirmation hearing set for this week for President Donald Trump's nominee to be secretary of veterans affairs, Ronny Jackson, the Washington Post reported on Monday.

 

The Post reported that White House and other administration officials were told by lawmakers that Jackson's confirmation process was in jeopardy over concerns about his lack of management experience and his oversight of the White House medical office.

Jackson, a U.S. Navy rear admiral, is the White House physician. He gave Trump a clean bill of health early this year after giving the president a physical.

The Post reported that new concerns about his management of the White House medical office had arisen, citing officials who declined to provide details.

The White House and Republican Senator Johnny Isakson, chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Jackson was scheduled to testify before the panel on Wednesday, but the hearing has been postponed, the Post reported.

Trump nominated Jackson to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs after ousting David Shulkin last month.

Shulkin had drawn fire after an inspector general's report found that he had improperly accepted tickets to the Wimbledon tennis tournament and his chief of staff made false statements so Shulkin's wife could travel at government expense.

The VA oversees healthcare and benefits going to roughly 20 million U.S. military veterans.

During his presidential campaign, Trump had promised to improve veterans' care.

(Reporting by Eric Beech)

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