YouTube To Host Live Town Hall Stream With New VA Secretary Tomorrow

YouTube is teaming up with the newly-installed Veteran Affairs Secretary Dr. David Shulkin for a digital town hall-style event — Shulkin’s first social media event since being sworn into office on Valentine’s Day. During the 30-minute live stream, slated for this Friday at 2:45 pm ET, Shulkin will take questions from veterans in a discussion moderated by Bill Rausch, the executive director of Got Your 6, a veterans empowerment organization.

“Since 2006, YouTube has played a significant role in connecting the American people with their governments and elected officials,” Brandon Feldman, YouTube’s head of news and politics partnerships, said in a statement. “We’re pleased Secretary Shulkin is continuing this tradition and we’re looking forward to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ efforts to engage constituents through technology.”

The event will be hosted on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ official YouTube channel, as well as its Facebook page. Viewers are invited to submit questions in the comments section here.

President Donald Trump, who nominated Shulkin to be the ninth VA Affairs Secretary earlier this month, has also made unique use of social media and online video platforms throughout his tenure thus far. In addition to taking to YouTube to deliver updates during his transition as well as offering weekly video updates on both YouTube and Facebook Live, Trump also used Facebook to unveil his Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch.

YouTube has taken other steps in recent months to bolster and tout its livestreaming offerings. It rolled out mobile streaming to channels with more than 10,000 subscribers earlier this month, and launched support for 4K streaming in November.