NEW YORK, NY — One Minnesota name on Trump’s schedule has placed the spotlight on the Secretary of Veteran Affairs position.
Minnesota native and FOX News contributor Pete Hegseth met with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Towers Tuesday.
Hegseth served in the National Guard after receiving his undergraduate degree from Princeton University.
He was awarded two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman Badge during his time on active duty.
Following his deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan, Hegseth joined Vets for Freedom as an executive director before becoming CEO of Concerned Veterans for America (CVA).
Hegseth completed a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard in 2013.
Dan Caldwell, VP of Policy and Communications for CVA spoke highly of Hegseth’s accomplishments with the organization.
Hegseth managed to grow the organization from 4 states to 16 states. He served as a member of the Fixing Veterans Health Care Task Force – which proposes veterans should have the opportunity to pick their doctors. He toured the country meeting with elected officials, discussing the ways of fixing the VA. Hegseth has testified before Congress on matters pertaining to the military and veteran affairs.
Caldwell told Alpha News that while the organization does not endorse individuals for cabinet positions, they were thrilled that Hegseth was potentially being considered for the position of VA Secretary, stating it meant VA reform was important to the president-elect and that Hegseth would bring an “outside-the-box” fix that the VA was in need of.
Hegseth, a FOX contributor has long been a major detractor of the VA’s current state. Just yesterday, Hegseth appeared on Fox News with ideas on how to reform the VA.
.@PeteHegseth: It’s time for an overhaul in the VA. We need to start supporting bills that truly put veterans first. pic.twitter.com/vMHS4RGP6Q
— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) November 28, 2016
A potential cabinet appointment for Hegseth could lead to one less contender for the Minnesota governor’s seat. Hegseth’s name has been floated in recent weeks as a potential republican candidate for governor.
Preya Samsundar
Preya Samsundar was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. She graduated from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities this Spring with a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology, with a minor in Strategic Communications. Preya has previously worked on several State Campaign Races.
