But service groups and unions worry that limited firsthand experience with the VA may lead to a slow start for McDonough, 51, if he ends up taking the helm of what’s considered one of the most difficult federal agencies to run due to its sheer size and scope.
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“Certainly he’s a very intelligent guy. Certainly the positions he’s held there’s no way in the world he would have been successful at any of them if he wasn’t very intelligent. But you can only see and learn so much at a time,” said Joe Chenelly, executive director of Amvets, a veterans advocacy group with more than 250,000 members.