Media

South Lawn

2:28 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Come on up here. A lot of courage, driving those cars. A lot of courage. Good afternoon. Today, I’m thrilled to welcome the 2017 NASCAR Champion, Martin Truex Jr. That is fantastic. (Applause.) And, Sherry, thank you. But I’m going to be mentioning you in a little while, Sherry. Thank you very much. And the entire Furniture Row Racing Team to the White House. Thank you, Furniture Row. (Applause.) Thank you. Great job.

President Donald Trump surprised many on Friday by announcing Robert Wilkie as his nominee to serve as secretary of Veterans Affairs, including Wilkie.

According to reports, Wilkie, a Fayetteville native, appeared to not know the announcement was coming. Wilkie has been acting VA secretary since late March.

Trump made his remarks at the White House Prison Reform Summit, as he introduced other members of his cabinet.

President Donald Trump has picked North Carolinian Robert Wilkie to be secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

If the Senate confirms him to the position, he would lead the second-largest agency in the U.S. government — one that has been plagued by scandal in recent years and is in the middle of a political fight over privatization.

Trump made the surprise announcement at a prison reform summit Friday morning at the White House.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. House of Representatives passed the VA Mission Act of 2018 (S. 2372), a bipartisan package to overhaul the Department of Veterans Affairs and fund the Choice Program.

U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (R-NC) supported the vote.