The Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee on Wednesday will begin its confirmation hearing for President Bush's nominee for Department of Veterans Affairs secretary, retired Army Lt. Gen. James Peake, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports. Peake "does not face significant resistance" in Congress for the position, according to the AP/Chronicle (Yen, AP/Houston Chronicle, 12/5).
Last week, a 28-page questionnaire completed by Peake that was submitted to the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee was obtained by the Associated Press. Peake stated that he would work to improve accountability, streamline the VA and Department of Defense health systems and make treating veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder "a very high priority" (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 11/30).
Peake has said that if confirmed, he will be an independent advocate for veterans. According to the AP/Chronicle, major veterans organizations are not opposing Peake, "although some have raised questions about how committed he would be in fixing problems" (AP/Houston Chronicle, 12/5).
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Peake's responses on the treatment of soldiers with PTSD "will be closely scrutinized by senators, veterans and advocacy groups." Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) said, "I want him to express an acute awareness of the challenges in treating and compensating veterans with these invisible injuries," adding, "That will determine whether or not I can support him. That's the critical issue facing the Veterans Department."
In addition, Peake will face questions on his political independence from the White House, his competence and his connections to companies that have VA contracts, according to the Post-Dispatch (Dine, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 12/5). Veterans' Affairs Committee Chair Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) hopes the full Senate will confirm Peake this month.
Committee member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said, "The problems at the VA are huge, and lives are at stake," adding, "I hope Gen. Peake's the guy for the job because this administration has failed to plan and failed to be honest, and we simply can't waste any more time when it comes to getting this right" (AP/Houston Chronicle, 12/5). Murray also said she would question the nominee on how he would prevent budgetary shortfalls such as those that occurred in 2005 and 2006, when VA funding needs were underestimated by billions of dollars (Yoest, CQ Today, 12/4).
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