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Trump Administration

Inside Trump’s VA

Investigating Trump’s Promises to America’s Veterans

President Donald Trump made appeals to America’s military veterans central to his campaign. How is his administration delivering on those promises?

Impact of Our Reporting
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Inside Trump’s VA

Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Buddies Tried to Get the VA to Sell Access to Veterans’ Medical Records

A congressional investigation prompted by ProPublica’s reporting found wealthy civilians with no U.S. government or military experience pursued a plan to monetize veterans’ medical data.

Inside Trump’s VA

VA Secretary Focused on Smearing Woman Who Said She Was Sexually Assaulted in a VA Hospital, Probe Finds

An investigation by the Department of Veterans Affairs internal watchdog confirms ProPublica’s reporting that Secretary Robert Wilkie wanted to discredit a congressional aide who said she was attacked in a VA facility last year.

Inside Trump’s VA

Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Buddy Used His “Shadow” Sway Over the VA to Promote His Comic Book Empire

Marvel chief Ike Perlmutter arranged for comic book characters to ring the NYSE closing bell with the VA secretary in 2017, according to a new government audit. Perlmutter has denied benefiting from his role as an informal adviser to President Trump.

Inside Trump’s VA

VA Secretary Under Investigation After Complaint He Looked for Dirt on a House Staffer Who Said She’d Been Assaulted

The agency’s internal watchdog told lawmakers about the probe after ProPublica unearthed the allegations against Secretary Robert Wilkie.

Inside Trump’s VA

Veterans Group Sues to Block VA Shadow Rulers

A new lawsuit challenges the legality of a secret Mar-a-Lago troika after ProPublica revealed its influence over the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Inside Trump’s VA

Democrats Vow Investigation of VA’s Shadow Rulers After ProPublica Story

“This situation reeks of corruption and cronyism,” said the top Democrat on the House veterans committee.

26 stories published since 2018

Veterans Affairs Secretary Headlines GOP Fundraiser as COVID-19 Cases Surge

Did He Talk About Her? VA Secretary Changes His Story Amid Allegations He Sought Dirt on House Staffer.

Trump Endorsed a Risky Antidepressant for Veterans. Lawmakers Want to Know if His Mar-a-Lago Pals Had a Stake in the Drugmaker.

VA Secretary Looked for Dirt on a House Staffer Who Reported Sexual Assault in a VA Hospital, Complaint Says

For-Profit Colleges Tap a Fox News Host to Influence Trump

Trump Appointees Used “Whistleblower Protection” Law to Target Whistleblowers, Review Finds

How Donald Trump Turned to a Comics Titan to Shape the VA

“No Comment”: Emails Show the VA Took No Action to Spare Veterans From a Harsh Trump Immigration Policy

Trump’s VA Firing Spree Falters in Court

VA’s Private Care Program Headed for Tech Trouble, Review Finds

Trump Mar-a-Lago Buddy Wrote Policy Pitch. The President Sent It to VA Chief.

The VA Is Paying for a Top Official’s Cross-Country Commute

“Doubling Down”: With Private Care Push, Trump’s VA Bucks Lawmakers and Some Veterans Groups

VA Was “Taken Advantage Of” by Paying Billions in Fees, Secretary Says

The VA’s Private Care Program Gave Companies Billions and Vets Longer Waits

How We Crunched the Numbers on the VA’s Private Care Program

VA Shadow Rulers Had Sway Over Contracting and Budgeting

Trump Administration Defends Legality of VA Shadow Rulers

Trump Administration Plots Costly Private-Care Expansion for Veterans

The VA Shadow Rulers’ Signature Program Is “Trending Towards Red”

GOP Senator Pushed VA to Use Unproven “Brainwave Frequency” Treatment

The Shadow Rulers of the VA

Steve Cohen Is Spending Millions to Help Veterans. Why Are People Angry?

White House Chief of Staff Contradicts White House Claim on VA Shakeup

The Trump Administration’s Campaign to Weaken Civil Service Ramps Up at the VA

The Trump Administration Goes to War — With Itself — Over the VA

What We’re Watching

During Donald Trump’s second presidency, ProPublica will focus on the areas most in need of scrutiny. Here are some of the issues our reporters will be watching — and how to get in touch with them securely.

Learn more about our reporting team. We will continue to share our areas of interest as the news develops.

Photo of Sharon Lerner
Sharon Lerner

I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them, including the Environmental Protection Agency.

Photo of Andy Kroll
Andy Kroll

I cover justice and the rule of law, including the Justice Department, U.S. attorneys and the courts.

Photo of Melissa Sanchez
Melissa Sanchez

I report on immigration and labor, and I am based in Chicago.

Photo of Jesse Coburn
Jesse Coburn

I cover housing and transportation, including the companies working in those fields and the regulators overseeing them.

If you don’t have a specific tip or story in mind, we could still use your help. Sign up to be a member of our federal worker source network to stay in touch.

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    Broken Promises

    Trump Administration Abandons Deal With Northwest Tribes to Restore Salmon

    The Trump administration canceled a deal, signed under President Joe Biden, that would have enabled the removal of four hydroelectric dams along the Columbia River that are considered harmful to salmon.

    Local Reporting Network

    100 Students in a School Meant for 1,000: Inside Chicago’s Refusal to Deal With Its Nearly Empty Schools

    Declining school enrollment has left 30% of Chicago public schools at least half-empty. The city’s failure to address this problem has come at a high cost to the district — and its students.

    “The Intern in Charge”: Meet the 22-Year-Old Trump’s Team Picked to Lead Terrorism Prevention

    One year out of college and with no apparent national security expertise, Thomas Fugate is the Department of Homeland Security official tasked with overseeing the government’s main hub for combating violent extremism.

    “Delay, Interfere, Undermine”

    President Donald Trump has praised Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele as a crime fighter, but new reporting based on interviews and documents reveals how senior Salvadoran officials have impeded a U.S. investigation of the MS-13 gang.

    Portland Said It Was Investing in Homeless People’s Safety. Deaths Have Quadrupled.

    The city responded to an increase in homeless deaths by intensifying encampment sweeps and adding emergency shelter at the expense of permanent housing. Experts say this has perpetuated the problem.

    Local Reporting Network