Former VA secretary "deeply concerned" about public service
This article, Former VA secretary "deeply concerned" about public service, originally appeared on CBSNews.com
President Trump's former secretary of Veterans Affairs says he is deeply concerned by the impact the current administration will have on those who want to serve their country.
"I believe strongly that anybody that is a private citizen who is asked to help their country should be willing to come and serve. And I am concerned whether people will continue to want to do that if they're subjected to personal attacks and if they're subjected to an environment where they can essentially be put in a position that is extremely uncomfortable," David Shulkin said on CBSN's "Red & Blue" Thursday.
In Shulkin's new book, "It Shouldn't Be This Hard to Serve Your Country: Our Broken Government and the Plight of Veterans," he describes the environment in Washington growing "toxic, chaotic and subversive" during the 13 months he spent in the Trump administration
"And the reason I've told my story is to make sure that have a chance to do better," Shulkin told CBSN. "I believe Americans are better than this. We need an environment in Washington that will allow people to be able to want to be successful in public service."
U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin CBS News
Asked about the investigation into President Trump's dealings with Ukraine, Shulkin said it seemed "actually very similar" to situations he witnessed, "where we see there was outside interference by people getting involved in decisions" who weren't part of the official government process.
Shulkin also touched on the moment he on Twitter, five hours after a conversation with the president in which he was told that "everything was fine."
"We've all now gotten used to the fact that this is a president that does things differently and often makes quick decisions, and I'm not privy to what made the president change his mind," Shulkin said. "I certainly knew that I served at the pleasure of the president."
Shulkin, a doctor and former hospital chief executive, was undersecretary of the VA in the Obama administration and was preparing to leave the agency after Mr. Trump's election. Without ever having a conversation with the newly elected president about his next steps, Shulkin learned that he was nominated to become VA secretary while watching Mr. Trump announce it live on TV during a press conference.
He talked about the complications he faced when trying to focus on veterans' issues and advocate for these policies, saying there were people outside the traditional decision-making roles who had different ideas and who were advising the president. There were differences of opinion on some of the department's services.
"When it comes to veterans, we shouldn't make this a partisan issue," Shulkin said. "Probably no other issue should bring Americans together than doing the right things for those that have served and sacrificed for this country. So I worked hard to keep it a bipartisan department and make policies based on the right thing to do, not the politics, but ultimately the politics took over in my situation."
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