The Senate on Tuesday unanimously confirmed the nomination of former Procter & Gamble CEO Bob McDonald to be the next Secretary of Veterans Affairs. In his July 23 confirmation hearing, members on both sides of the aisle lauded McDonald as the right man for the job, essentially assuring an easy confirmation. “I applaud the overwhelming, bipartisan confirmation of Bob McDonald as our next Secretary of Veterans Affairs,” said President Barack Obama in a July 29 statement. “As a country, we have a solemn duty to serve our veterans as well as they have served us. I know Bob will help us honor that commitment and make sure every veteran gets the care they deserve, the benefits they’ve earned, and the chance to pursue the American Dream they’ve risked so much to protect.” House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Jeff Miller said in a statement, “In the wake of the biggest scandal in the history of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Bob McDonald certainly has his work cut out for him.” He urged McDonald to “take swift and decisive action to discipline employees responsible for mismanagement, negligence, and corruption that harms veterans while taking bold steps to replace the department’s culture of complacency with a climate of accountability.” McDonald will take the reigns from Acting Secretary Sloan Gibson.
The 301st Fighter Wing in Fort Worth, Texas, became the first standalone Reserve unit in the Air Force to get its own F-35s, welcoming the first fighter Nov. 5.