Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin told lawmakers Thursday that his department had no plans so far to be involved in a Veterans Day military parade planned by the Pentagon at President Trump’s request.
“We have had no discussions with the White House about participating in the parade,” Shulkin told the House Appropriations Committee, which was reviewing his department’s budget requests for the next fiscal year.
“Veterans Day is a very important day to us. We put our resources and our efforts into the recognition at Arlington National Cemetery that day. We have no plans to change that,” Shulkin said.
Shulkin’s job security is subject to widespread speculation following release of an inspector general report showing his staff doctored an email to justify paying his wife’s travel expenses in Europe. Shulkin repaid the amount, but has been hit with reports of turmoil between himself and other veterans policy officials.
Several lawmakers appeared to indirectly allude to reports that Trump may fire him. Shulkin said he was trying to avoid “the distractions.”
Trump’s proposed Veterans Day military parade would happen on Nov. 11 in Washington, D.C., according to a March 8 memo to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, drafted by Hallock Mohler, executive secretary in the office of the secretary of defense.
Mohler’s memo calls for the military parade to be integrated into an annual Veterans Day parade on Pennsylvania Ave. between the White House and the Capitol. There would be no tanks, “to minimize damage to local infrastructure.”
The parade plan calls for Trump to observe the march at a “reviewing area” near the Capitol.
White House Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney told lawmakers at a February hearing that the military parade could cost between $10 million and $30 million.
Critics of Trump’s military parade request compared the proposed event to displays in the Soviet Union and North Korea, and said the expense would be wasteful. Trump reportedly told Pentagon leaders he would like an event similar to annual Bastille Day festivities in France.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Thursday afternoon, after Shulkin’s appearance on Capitol Hill, that Trump was looking for ways to improve the VA, responding to a question about the department’s leadership.
“The president has a large number of individuals that are working hard to make sure that the V.A. is helping veterans as at the best level possible. We’re continuing to review if there [is] anything we can do to improve on the system and if we make changes we’ll let you know,” Sanders said.
She added: “I don’t have any personnel announcements but we’re looking for how to better the system every day. Whether it is through policy or personnel changes, not just at the top but across the board. We made a number of changes within the personnel and made sure we’re looking at how to best serve our nation’s veterans.”
