Ryan Nicol
President Donald Trump has chosen to nominate acting Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie to serve in the position permanently, passing over U.S. Rep. Brian Mast of Palm City, who was under consideration for the post.
Wilkie was appointed the acting head of the VA after the departure of Secretary David Shulkin back in March. That was followed by a failed attempt by Trump to nominate White House Doctor Ronny Jackson to serve in the post. Jackson was forced to withdraw his nomination after some workplace misconduct allegations were made against him.
That forced Trump to go back to the drawing board as his administration faced criticism for not properly vetting Jackson. It was during this time that many names were floated for the nomination, including Mast and former Florida Rep. Jeff Miller, who once led the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
Mast, who was also recently named to serve on that committee, is an Army veteran who represents Florida’s 18th Congressional District.
GOP officials may consider the news Mast would not be nominated a blessing in disguise. The news leaves Mast available to run for re-election in what could be a closely contested race. The Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC, recently announced their continued commitment toward Mast’s re-election bid. The group says volunteers are available to help canvass for Mast. The CLF also has a field office in Port St. Lucie, which is part of Mast’s home district.
Mast won his first re-election to the House in 2016, defeating his Democratic opponent by ten percentage points. That’s an easy gap to close if Democrats have a strong November. Having an incumbent in Mast remain in the seat will likely help Republicans’ chances to keep it red.
Wilkie will now need to be confirmed by the Senate. The VA is one of the largest agencies in the federal government, serving nine million veterans and employing around 360,000 people.
