HEADLINES & GLOBAL NEWS By (Photo : Leigh Vogel-Pool/Getty Images) Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Considers Nomination Of Denis McDonough For VA Secretary WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 27: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) questions nominee for Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill January 27, 2021 in Washington, DC. Previously McDonough was White House Chief of Staff and Deputy National Security Advisor in the Obama administration. Senator Manchin spoke of keeping the filibuster, not throwing it out as some extreme Democrats want to do. One of the reasons it is not wanted is that it blocks the administration from getting all the bills it wants to be passed on the Senate floor.