Ugly power struggle paralyzes Trump’s plan to fix veterans’ care

[TomSea]

Ugly power struggle paralyzes Trump’s plan to fix veterans’ care

By Lisa Rein | The Washington Post

WASHINGTON – Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin is managing the government’s second-largest bureaucracy from a fortified bunker atop the agency’s Washington headquarters.

He has canceled the morning meetings once attended by several of President Trump’s political appointees – members of his senior management team – gathering instead with aides he trusts not to miscast his remarks. Access to Shulkin’s 10th-floor executive suite was recently revoked for several people he has accused of lobbying the White House to oust him. He and his public-affairs chief have not spoken in weeks.

And in a sign of how deeply the secretary’s trust in his senior staff has eroded, an armed guard now stands outside his office.

Read more at: https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/03/09/ugly-power-struggle-paralyzes-trumps-plan-to-fix-veterans-care/