Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, MD, will face Senate questioning Wednesday during his confirmation hearing for the position of secretary of Veterans Affairs. Here are five things to watch in the hearing.
1. Lawmakers will want to gauge Dr. Jackson's ability to lead. Dr. Jackson's lack of experience managing an agency as large as the VA is a chief concern of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. He currently oversees a staff of 70 as the White House physician and led a team of about a dozen surgeons during the Iraq War, but the VA has roughly 375,000 employees and a budget of more than $180 billion, according to The Washington Post.
2. Expect a focus on his leadership during the Iraq War. Lawmakers, especially those who support Dr. Jackson, are likely to focus on his leadership during the Iraq War — particularly when he led the emergency medicine unit in Al-Taqaddum for five months — as a measure of his qualifications and capabilities outside of traditional management experience. "This guy risked his life for his country, he's been out in the thick of it, he understands what war is all about, he's had people die in his arms," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told The Washington Post. "That's what I want the next VA guy to understand. We're not playing games here."
3. Dr. Jackson will be grilled on his views on privatization, especially by Democrats. Little is known about Dr. Jackson's political leanings, so Senate Democrats are likely to hone in on his views on privatizing the VA. In one-on-one meetings with lawmakers, Dr. Jackson has promised to oppose privatizing the VA, but many senators need to see a fierce advocate to appoint him. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, told The Hill, "I want to see some evidence that he will … I guess what I want to know is he willing to be fired to stand up against privatization?"
This commitment is seen as critical because Dr. Jackson's predecessor, David Shulkin, MD, wrote in an op-ed for The New York Times that he was ousted for being an "obstacle to privatization."
4. Lawmakers will want to see if Dr. Jackson, who is known for his social awareness, can rebuild the VA's reputation. The VA has been under fire for years for being mismanaged and disorganized, an image the agency has been battling as it works to address issues, according to the Military Times. Dr. Jackson is a perceptive and likable candidate, according to The Washington Post profile, which would be helpful attributes in helping rebuild the VA in the eyes of the public.
5. The questioning may also touch on his commitment to the VA's EHR plan. Dr. Shulkin was fired days before signing off on a contract with Cerner to update the VA's EHR and streamline it with the Department of Defense's records, according to the Military Times. Senators will likely want to hear Dr. Jackson is committed to seeing this project through, according the report.
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