President Donald Trump has withdrawn the nomination of Ryan Cote to serve as the assistant secretary for information and technology and chief information officer (CIO) at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
President Trump nominated Cote for the role on June 30, but he withdrew the nomination on July 17.
The dual-hatted role is currently filled in an acting capacity by Eddie Pool, who previously served as the agency’s deputy CIO. Pool took over the role for political appointee Kurt DelBene, who left the job in January 2025.
It’s not immediately clear why the White House withdrew Cote’s nomination. Cote previously served as CIO at the Transportation Department under the first Trump administration, where he oversaw an annual IT budget of $3.7 billion.
The president withdrew Cote’s nomination the same week the House VA Technology Modernization Subcommittee held a hearing on the VA Office of Information and Technology’s (OIT) organizational structure and priorities.
During that hearing, Pool outlined plans for a reorganization of the agency’s OIT workforce to focus on critical IT functions.
Additionally, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle emphasized the importance of the VA having a confirmed CIO, and they urged the Senate to move quickly on Cote’s nomination.
Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Ill., the ranking member of the subcommittee, even urged the VA to pause any reorganization or budgetary decisions until a new CIO is confirmed.
“I’m concerned that this was rushed to be finalized before a new, permanent CIO could be confirmed,” Rep. Budzinski said. “I would hope that the department would delay implementing such drastic changes until a CIO can be appropriately named, vetted, and confirmed.”