David Shulkin Wins 100-0 Confirmation Vote To Lead Veterans Administration

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The U.S. Senate confirmed David Shulkin as secretary of Veterans Affairs in a rare 100-0 vote.
Shulkin, a Jewish physician, was deputy VA secretary under President Barack Obama and is the only holdover from the former administration.
His vote was a rare moment of bipartisan support for a nominee of President Trump.
On the same day, Steve Mnuchin was confirmed as Treasury Secretary after a 53-47 vote in which just one Democrat voted to approve him. Last week, Betsy DeVos needed Vice President Mike Pence to break a 50-50 deadlock after two Republican senators joined all their Democratic colleagues in voting against her.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
