Veteran Affairs Secretary David Shulkin knows he is serving his last days in President Trump’s Cabinet.
“I think he wakes up every day wondering if this is the day he’s going to get fired,” an ally to Shulkin told the Washington Post. “He knows he is done,” although the uncertainty “is wearing on him, there is no doubt about that.”
Trump has told various advisers in the White House that he intends to fire Shulkin despite not publicly sharing his thoughts on the issue in recent weeks.
Shulkin has told close friends that he will not quit, but expects Trump to fire him, possibly over Twitter as was recently done with former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
Before Shulkin leaves, he hopes to finalize a medical records contract, but with an unknown number of days left before he is cast out of the administration, that goal could go unmet.
The VA leader recently came under scrutiny for a pricey trip to Europe last summer, as well as continued concerns about veteran care.
Trump may be waiting to pull the cord until a replacement to lead the department’s 360,000 employees can be found.
Thomas Bowman, Shulkin’s deputy, would appear to be the next in line to take over for his boss on an interim basis. However, advisers in the White House worry Bowman and Trump do not share the same agenda, including Trump’s desire to privatize more of veterans’ care.
