Fayetteville’s Robert Wilkie was overwhelmingly confirmed as the next head of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Senate voted Monday afternoon to approve Wilkie’s nomination. Once sworn in, he will oversee the nation’s second-largest government agency, which is charged with caring for nine million veterans and more than 1,700 government-run health care facilities.

Wilkie, 55, is the son of a Fort Bragg Army officer who was severely wounded while serving in Vietnam. He still considers Fayetteville home and is the first VA secretary to hail from North Carolina.

He is a Navy veteran who serves as an intelligence officer in the Air Force Reserve.

Republicans and Democrats praised Wilkie ahead of the Senate vote, which was 86 for and 9 against his confirmation. The “no” votes were the first ever for a VA secretary.

Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat, said Wilkie was “the right man for the job” in leading the nation’s largest health care system.

Sen. Johnny Isakson, a Georgia Republican, said he, Tester and others on the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs were excited for a “new day for the VA.”

“Robert Wilkie is the real deal,” Isakson said.

Wilkie has a long career in government, serving in the administration of President George W. Bush and working for Sens. Jesse Helms, Trent Lott and Thom Tillis. He was most recently undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness in the Department of Defense.
 
Tillis, a North Carolina Republican for whom Wilkie previously served as senior advisor, praised the confirmation.
 
“I’m proud that Robert Wilkie – my friend and former staffer – was confirmed on a broad and bipartisan basis,” the senator said. “Robert is a leader blessed with a public servant’s heart who has the right experience, skill-set, and genuine love for our servicemembers and veterans to be a great VA secretary.”
 
Now that he is confirmed, Wilkie is expected to be sworn into office quickly and may possibly join President Donald Trump at the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention in Kansas City on Tuesday for his first public appearance as VA secretary.
 
Wilkie was Trump’s third pick to lead the VA in the past 18 months and previously served as acting VA secretary after the firing of David Shulkin in March.
 
Trump chose Wilkie for the post two months later, after former White House doctor Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson removed himself from consideration following allegations of misconduct and mismanagement.
 
Following his nomination, Wilkie stepped down as acting VA secretary pending his confirmation.
 
“Robert has already demonstrated what he is capable of during his short tenure as acting VA secretary, quickly working to improve morale at the VA, earning strong reviews and trust from (veteran service organizations), members of Congress, and VA staff, and moving decisively to execute the electronic health record project, which is a critical part of the VA transformation initiative,” Tillis added. “I look forward to working closely with Robert to overhaul the VA and making it a more efficient and effective organization that delivers timely and high-quality care for all veterans.”

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