Brooks Tucker

Brooks D. Tucker is a former Trump appointee who served in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as a Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs as well as Chief of Staff and Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Legislative Affairs. Prior to serving in the Trump administration he worked on the Trump transition team advising on Veterans policy. He is the author of Project 2025’s chapter on Veterans Affairs that broadly advocates for reduced spending for programs which support veterans. This experience makes him a prime candidate for VA Secretary in a second Trump Administration.

In the Project 2025 Mandate for Leadership chapter on the VA, Tucker writes that the VA must “rescind all departmental clinical policy directives that are contrary to principles of conservative governance starting with abortion services and gender reassignment surgery.” Tucker also calls for complete politicization of the VA, saying the agency must “transfer all career SES [Senior Executive Service] out of PA /PAS-designated [Presidential Appointee or Presidential Appointees with Senate Confirmation] positions on the first day and ensure political control of the VA”.

A common theme that runs through Tucker’s chapter on the VA is spending less money on Veterans via the VA. The bipartisan PACT Act passed during the Biden administration expands VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances during their military service. Tucker has said this led to historic spending by the VA. Project 2025 also “calls for cutting 1 million federal jobs, an estimated 30% of which are held by veterans”.

In terms of cutting costs at the expense of Veterans, Tucker’s chapter in Project 2025 also “proposes eliminating concurrent eligibility for both service-related disability benefits and military retirement benefits, which Tucker says would reduce mandatory outlays by at least $160 billion through 2032, and revising the disability rating awards that determine eligibility for benefits and determine monthly disability compensation to reap ‘significant cost savings’”. It also says the VA should “end enrollment in VA medical care for veterans in two low-priority groups to save an estimated $69 billion through 2032 and narrow eligibility for veterans disability by excluding disabilities that cannot be related to military service”.

Prior to working for Donald Trump, Tucker served as primary adviser to U.S. Senator Richard Burr on national security and veterans’ affairs. He also served in the Marine Corps and worked for Deutsche Bank.