happening now
Obama picks former Procter & Gamble CEO to head VA
On Monday, President Obama will nominate Robert A. McDonald, the former CEO of Procter & Gamble, as the next secretary of Veterans Affairs, a White House official said.
The West Point graduate spent 33 years at Procter & Gamble, which "prepares him well for a huge agency with management challenges in servicing more than eight million veterans a year," the unidentified official told the Los Angeles Times.
McDonald, 61, retired from P&G in June 2013. He served in the U.S. Army for five years in the 1970s, and was a captain in the 82nd Airborne Division. If he is confirmed by the Senate, McDonald will take over a department that has come under fire for failing to provide healthcare in a timely manner and concealing long waits for appointments.
Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, said that the new secretary must begin by "solving problems instead of downplaying or hiding them, holding employees accountable for mismanagement and negligence that harms veterans, and understanding that taxpayer-funded organizations such as VA have a responsibility to provide information to Congress and the public rather than stonewalling them."