Summary
- Cheryl Mason confirmed as VA Inspector General.
- The Senate approved 53-45, all Democrats opposed.
- Democrats doubt her impartiality due to past ties.
- Mason vows unbiased VA oversight.
- Replaces dismissed former VA IG Mike Missal.
Mason, the first female chair of the Board of
Veterans Appeals, was approved by a 53-45 vote to become the VA Inspector
General, with Democrats being the only ones opposed.
She takes over for previous VA Inspector General
Mike Missal, who was fired by President Donald Trump after serving in the
position from April 2016 to January 2025.
He has filed a lawsuit against the White House on behalf of seven other
government watchdogs who were fired, alleging that their dismissals were made
without adequate notice or justification. That lawsuit has not yet been
resolved.
Democratic senators have criticized the firings
for months, claiming they are an attempt to fill important oversight positions
with administration-friendly personnel. Mason’s nomination has also come under
increased scrutiny because she spent months working with the senior VA
officials she will now be tasked with looking into.
Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., ranking member of
the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, referred to Mason as “one of the
most partisan and least independents we’ve seen in nominees for an inspector
general post in recent years” prior to her confirmation vote on Thursday.
He raised concerns about her ability to properly
oversee the agency, pointing out that she had advised Trump’s presidential
transition team and worked with Secretary Doug Collins on staffing reforms.
Mason promised to be impartial in her
investigation of waste, fraud, and abuse at the agency and to be fair in her
reporting to Congress during her confirmation hearing before the Senate
Veterans’ Affairs Committee in June.
“I consider myself to be an impartial,
independent aide to the department,”
she said.
“I am loyal to the veterans.
That’s who I serve. That’s who I’m loyal to. I work for the president and the
[VA] secretary, but also, if confirmed, I will work for this committee.”
A number of Democratic holds have delayed her
confirmation for weeks, citing her qualifications as well as more general
issues with public transparency and department downsizing.
The majority of this week, which is the Senate’s
final working week before September, has been devoted to Republican leaders
pushing through a number of administration appointments that the minority party
has stalled.
Mason has already advocated publicly for career
possibilities for military spouses and is the wife and daughter of soldiers.
She served on the Board of Veterans Appeals during President Joe Biden and
during the first Trump administration.
In the upcoming days, she is anticipated to be
sworn into her new position.
How did Cheryl Mason’s confirmation vote compare
to previous VA IG nominations?
Cheryl Mason’s confirmation vote to become the
VA Inspector General was 53-45, largely along party lines with all opposition
from Democrats. This margin reflects a more contentious and partisan
confirmation compared to many previous VA IG nominations, which often had
broader bipartisan support or less polarized votes.
Democrats raised strong concerns about her
impartiality given her prior roles advising VA leadership and involvement with
the Trump transition team, leading to weeks of holds and increased scrutiny.
The vote to confirm Mason was part of a late
Senate push to clear administration nominations that had been blocked by the
minority party, underscoring the political tensions surrounding her
appointment.
