Biden nominates Denis McDonough to lead VA, turning to another longtime Obama adviser
Source: CNN
President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday tapped Denis McDonough to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, adding the longtime chief of staff to former President Barack Obama to his new Cabinet.
As VA secretary, McDonough would be inheriting one of the most challenging agencies in the government, so Biden was looking "for a seasoned hand, who knows the government well," a person familiar with the decision says.
McDonough's announcement is the latest example of how Biden is turning to a trusted set of advisers to surround him in his new administration. The President-elect on Thursday also named several other Cabinet nominees and top administration officials, including: Tom Vilsack, the former agriculture secretary under President Barack Obama, for agriculture secretary; Marcia Fudge, an Ohio congresswoman, for secretary of Housing and Urban Development; and Susan Rice, a former national security adviser under Obama, to lead the White House Domestic Policy Council.
Several veterans groups were hoping Biden would choose a veteran of the Iraq or Afghanistan wars. McDonough did not serve in the military, but rather has long experience navigating bureaucracies on Capitol Hill and at the White House.
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/biden-nominates-denis-mcdonough-to-lead-va-turning-to-another-longtime-obama-adviser/ar-BB1bOOaY?li=BBnbfcQ
