Tester: VA nominee McDonald ‘very qualified for tough job’

(U.S. SENATE) – Senator Jon Tester today released the following statement after VA Secretary nominee Robert McDonald testified before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee:

“Running the VA is a tough job, but Bob is very qualified. The VA provides good health care, but it must improve access to care so more veterans get the treatment they earned. I’m confident Bob will address the department’s problems and build a stronger VA.”

Tester, a long-time member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, is pushing Congressional leaders to more quickly pass a VA reform bill. Tester said recently that lawmakers balking at the bill’s cost need to understand that “taking care of veterans is a cost of war.”

McDonald, a former CEO of Procter & Gamble, graduated from West Point and served in the U.S. Army. The committee is expected to vote on his nomination next week. McDonald would replace former Army General Erik Shinseki, who stepped down earlier this year.