Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM AUGUST 8-14, 2018 UCW 9 Robert Wilkie is officially the United States secre- tary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. He took the oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony with President Donald Trump at the White House. Wilkie is a former military officer and Pentagon of- ficial. He serves in the Air Force Reserve. Wilkie grew up in Fayetteville and to date is the highest-ranking native son to serve in the federal government. He was joined in the Oval Office by his wife, Julie, and son, Adam, as well as former bosses Sen. om Tillis, R-N.C., and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. "I'm humbled by the prospect of serving those who have borne the battle, those American men and women who have sacrificed so much," Wilkie, 55, said in remarks before the ceremony. Wilkie is now in charge of the second-largest federal government agency. e VA has more than 360,000 employees and an annual budget of nearly $200 billion. e department is tasked with pro- viding health care, monetary assistance and other benefits to millions of veterans. "I know you'll work night and day to fulfill our sacred duty to protect those who protect us," Trump said. "It's a tough job, but a beautiful job. Congratulations." Wilkie is taking over at a time of significant change at the VA. He is charged with leading an overhaul of the VA's private-sector care programs and overseeing a multibillion-dollar project to cre- ate a new electronic health record system, as well as implementing recently approved changes to the VA claims appeals process, caregiver benefits and GI Bill, among other things. Lawmakers and veterans' organizations are hope- ful that Wilkie can stabilize the department after months of uncertainty about its leadership. "We congratulate him on becoming secretary, and we look forward to him bringing stable leadership to the department and strong advocacy for America's veterans," Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander B.J. Lawrence said. e VA has been without a permanent secretary since David Shulkin was fired in March as the result of a power struggle with political appointees as- signed to the VA. Wilkie has already purged some Trump loyalists and others who he said represented part of the VA's operations problem. He did so with the president's knowledge and consent. Following Shulkin's dismissal, Deputy Secre- tary Tom Bowman retired, and a handful of other leaders left the agency. VA Press Secretary Curt Cashour said in a statement in April that the offi- cials who left were "wedded to the status quo" and "not on board with this administration's policies or pace of change." e Washington Post reported that once Wilkie was VA secretary, he intended to form his own leadership team and reassign political appointees who were behind the staff departures. e Post said Cashour is searching for another job in the Trump administration. Camilo Sandoval, acting VA chief information officer, is expected to leave altogether, and John Ullyot, the assistant secretary for public and intergovernmental affairs, will likely be reas- signed to another job within the VA. However, in a statement, Cashour denied the report and said he had no plans to leave the depart- ment. Additionally, Cashour said Ullyot and Sando- val will remain in their positions. Fayetteville native Robert Wilkie takes over the VA by JEFF THOMPSON NEWS JEFF THOMPSON, Senior News Reporter. COMMENTS? news@upandcomingweekly. com. 910-484-6200. Wilkie grew up in Fayetteville and to date is the hig- hest-ranking native son to serve in the federal government. WEDNESDAYS 10A - 2P BRONCO SQUARE MURCHISON RD FRESH & LOCAL Across from Campus of Fayetteville State University SPENCE FAMILY FARMS • PARKER'S TEN ACRE FARMS MS. CHERRY'S BAKED GOODS • MS. RHONDA'S SOAPS BEZZIE'S BARBEQUE SAUCE