Workforce

VA Secretary Under Investigation After Complaint He Looked for Dirt on a House Staffer Who Said She’d Been Assaulted

The agency’s internal watchdog told lawmakers about the probe after ProPublica unearthed the allegations against Secretary Robert Wilkie.

Management

Trump Endorsed a Risky Antidepressant for Veterans. Lawmakers Want to Know if His Mar-a-Lago Pals Had a Stake in the Drugmaker.

House Democrats requested emails and financial records as they investigate why the president told the VA to “corner the market” on a Johnson & Johnson drug.

Defense

Trump’s New Spy Chief Failed to Report $100,000 from a Group Funded by Hungary

Richard Grenell’s past clients could raise concerns about his access to state secrets, according to his own office’s rules.

Defense

Trump’s New Spy Chief Worked for a Foreign Politician Accused by the U.S. of Corruption

Richard Grenell did not disclose payments for advocacy work on behalf of a Moldovan politician whom the U.S. later accused of corruption. His own office’s policy says that could leave him vulnerable to blackmail.

Management

VA Secretary Looked for Dirt on a House Staffer Who Reported Sexual Assault in a VA Hospital, Complaint Says

VA chief Robert Wilkie called a House policy advisor’s assault allegation “unsubstantiated” even though an independent investigation found it was not.

Management

How Donald Trump Turned to a Comics Titan to Shape the VA

In a new book and an interview with ProPublica, former VA Secretary David Shulkin describes how Marvel Entertainment’s Ike Perlmutter and two associates with no government experience exerted influence over millions of veterans.

Oversight

Trump’s USDA Is Letting Factories With Troubling Safety Records Slaughter Chickens Even Faster

Workers are getting injured, but the Department of Agriculture says their safety is not its responsibility.

Management

'No Comment': Emails Show the VA Took No Action to Spare Veterans From a Harsh Trump Immigration Policy

The VA’s approach differs sharply from the Pentagon’s, which won an exemption for active-duty members of the military.

Management

Trump’s VA Firing Spree Falters in Court

Rather than defend a law that the president loves, the VA will reinstate a hospital director whom it twice tried to fire.

Management

Trump Mar-a-Lago Buddy Wrote Policy Pitch. The President Sent It to VA Chief.

A handwritten note to Trump, addressed “Dear King,” presents another instance of access and influence for Mar-a-Lago associates.

Management

The VA Is Paying for a Top Official’s Cross-Country Commute

Darin Selnick, the architect of the Trump administration’s controversial new policies on private health care for veterans, traveled to Washington from his home in California twice a month at taxpayer expense.

Management

With Private Care Push, Trump’s VA Bucks Lawmakers and Some Veterans Groups

The administration proposed new rules on paying for more veterans to see private doctors, but the lack of details makes the fiscal impact unclear.

Management

The VA’s Private Care Program Gave Companies Billions and Vets Longer Waits

Trump wants to supersize a program that spent almost a quarter of its funds on overhead.

Management

VA Shadow Rulers Had Sway Over Contracting and Budgeting

New disclosures and investigations are straining the three Trump associates’ relationship with the new VA secretary.

Oversight

Trump Administration Defends Legality of VA Shadow Rulers

In a court filing, government lawyers argued that a Watergate-era sunshine law doesn’t apply to three Trump associates influencing the VA from Mar-a-Lago.

Management

Trump Administration Plots Costly Private-Care Expansion for Veterans

The plan sets up a clash with Democrats, who say the administration is thwarting congressional intent and will starve the VA health system to pay for private care.

Oversight

GOP Senator Pushed VA to Use Unproven 'Brainwave Frequency' Treatment

The Trump administration has welcomed experimental procedures for veterans’ mental health, even though doctors urge caution.

Management

The Shadow Rulers of the VA

How Marvel Entertainment chairman Ike Perlmutter and two other Mar-a-Lago cronies are secretly shaping the Trump administration’s veterans policies