BURLINGTON, Vt., March 28 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), former chairman and current member of the Veterans Affairs Committee, issued the following statement after President Donald Trump tweeted that he will replace his Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin with Ronny Jackson, who currently serves as the president’s physician:

“Every major veterans’ organization in this country vigorously opposes the privatization of the VA. I stand with them. Our job is to strengthen the VA in order to provide high-quality care to our veterans, not dismember it. The Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs should not approve any nominee for secretary who supports the privatization of the VA.”