Maine Senator Angus King says he won’t vote to approve one of President Trump’s nominees for Veterans Affairs after a tense exchange over contract cancellations.
King asked Dr. Karen Brazell, the nominee for Under Secretary for Benefits, whether she’d been involved in VA contract cuts several times.
A portion of their exchange:
Senator King: “That’s the third time you’ve given me that answer and for the third I’m going to say, ‘that’s not what I’m asking.’ I’m asking were you involved anyway whatsoever with the review with the contract of your former employer.”
Dr. Brazell: “Senator King, I have answered that. I am not a contracting official or contracting authority. I have not reviewed the contracts of my former employer.”
Senator King: “Your failure to answer that question — you just lost my vote on this nomination.”
Brazell became a senior advisor at the VA earlier this year when DOGE started making contract cuts, which redirected about $900 million to healthcare and benefits.
The cuts were intended to streamline operations and eliminate wasteful spending.
Senator King is a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and questioned Brazell when she appeared before the committee on Wednesday.
Watch the entire exchange between King and Brazell here.
