The Senate on Monday voted 87-7 in favor of approving Denis McDonough’s nomination to head the Department of Veterans Affairs.

What You Need To Know

  • The Senate voted 87-7 in favor of approving Denis McDonough to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs

  • Senators Cruz, Hagerty, Ernst, Marshall, Hawley, Scott, and Cotton voted against confirming McDonough as VA Secretary

  • McDonough, who never served in the armed forces, will head a sprawling agency that has presented organizational challenges for both parties over the years

  • McDonough is now the seventh Cabinet or Cabinet-level member of Biden’s administration to be approved by the Senate

 

Republican Senators Ted Cruz (TX), Bill Hagerty (TN), Joni Ernst (IA), Roger Marshall (KS), Josh Hawley (MO), Rick Scott (FL), and Tom Cotton (AR) voted against confirming McDonough as VA Secretary.

But Democrats praised McDonough’s leadership style, with many citing his years of public service as reason to approve his nomination.

“(McDonough) is an experienced public servant who knows how to deliver results and I know he will work hard to get the job done for our veterans and their families,” tweeted Sen. Tammy Baldwin ahead of Monday’s vote.

“Denis McDonough has demonstrated that he is unequivocally the man for this job,” Sen. Jon Tester said on the Senate floor, adding: “He will be held accountable when it comes to swiftly implementing a number of historic reforms.” 

McDonough, who never served in the armed forces, will head a sprawling agency that has presented organizational challenges for both parties over the years. 

Biden tapped the nominee not for his service record, but his experience navigating Washington bureaucracy — McDonough was credited with helping Obama try to bridge divides on Capitol Hill, including around one of his most substantial second-term legislative achievements: the Veterans Choice Act. 

Upon introducing McDonough as his nominee for VA secretary in late December 2020, Biden said he “shares my belief that we have many obligations as a nation, but we have only one, truly sacred obligation: To prepare and equip our troops that we send in harm’s way and then to care for them — and their families — when they return.” 

In his testimony in front of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 27, McDonough pledged to assist the nation's veterans through the coronavirus pandemic.

"This won’t be easy," McDonough said in his prepared remarks. "The Department of Veterans Affairs faces great challenges, challenges made even more daunting by the coronavirus pandemic. Its capabilities have not always risen to the needs of our veterans.” 

McDonough is now the seventh Cabinet or Cabinet-level member of Biden’s administration to be approved by the Senate, including: Avril Haines as Director of National Intelligence; Gen. Lloyd Austin as Secretary of Defense; Janet Yellen as Treasury Secretary; Antony Blinken as Secretary of State; Pete Buttigieg as Transportation Secretary, and Alejandro Mayorkas as DHS Secretary.

It could be the last confirmation for several weeks to come, as the Senate begins its impeachment proceedings against former President Donald Trump on Tuesday. Numerous Republican Senators have said they will not move forward with any nominations until after the trial. 

Last week, Sen. Lindsey Graham — then head of the Senate Judiciary Committee — denied a request from Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin to hold a confirmation hearing for Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland on Monday, saying Trump’s impeachment trial “requires the Senate’s complete focus.”