On MSNBC’s All In With Chris Hayes, former VA Secretary David Shulkin said that he was fired because he wouldn’t weaken and privatize the VA.
Video:
Former VA Secretary David Shulkin tells Chris Hayes on #AllIn that Trump fired him because he wouldn't privatize the VA. pic.twitter.com/dBxUd0ktWP
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) March 30, 2018
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Transcript:
Shulkin: Well, I think that the president made a decision who he wants to represent veteran affairs in the cabinet. That’s a decision that the president makes. There was clear evidence though that the political appointees inside VA were working against me and my leadership team because they felt that we were trying to strengthen the VA rather than move it towards privatization.
Hayes: Who though? I mean, I’m confused how this state of affairs comes about. You haven’t named names. You’re saying there are individuals you know who they are who were working at cross purposes to essentially sabotage you?
Shulkin: I’m absolutely saying that. The names have been named. There are documents that have been shared and published. They’re in the newspapers right now that show the political appointees who have written memos to try to disrupt the operations at VA. And we’ve been focused on trying to make the progress that our veterans need to be able to fulfill the mission that this country owes the responsibility to take care of those who have served.
Hayes: You just tell me the names of these individuals?
Shulkin: I’m not going to start naming names right here. But they’re all available. They’ve been published, “The New York Times” has it and others have it, as well. They are people that have represented the office of public affairs; they’re the white house representatives who are in VA. A number of them have already been identified.
Trump is going to steal veterans’ health care by privatizing the VA
It was reported days before Shulkin was fired that Trump was going to get rid of the now former VA Secretary because the Koch brothers were about to make their move to privatize the VA. The privatization of the VA has always been the endgame for Trump and the Republicans who are in control of Congress. They are following the same playbook that they followed for Obamacare. Trump wants to weaken the VA to give him an excuse to privatize it.
The Republicans don’t consider that a capped system that would limit care and benefits would not be what is best for veterans. VA privatization is an ideological mission that has nothing to do with real-world outcomes.
Veterans and Democrats better prepare because the push for VA privatization is coming quickly.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
