Acting VA Secretary Robert Wilkie tapped to lead the department

President Trump announced Friday he is tapping acting Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie to be the department’s next leader. Wilkie was apparently unaware of his pending nomination, as the president joked he had “ruined the surprise” per a Politico report. Wilkie has led the VA since the firing of former Secretary David Shulkin in late March.

Wilkie’s nomination comes at a crucial time for the VA. The department signed a $10 billion contract with Cerner for a new electronic health record system and the VA MISSION Act of 2018 is poised to pass the Senate next week with the president planning to sign the bill into law by Memorial Day.

Wilkie is a reserve officer in the U.S. Air Force Reserve assigned to the Office of the Chief of Staff. Before his first Pentagon tour, he was special assistant to the president for National Security Affairs and a senior director of the National Security Council under Dr. Condoleezza Rice, according to his official bio.