WASHINGTON — Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, under fire for ethics violations, said Thursday that he has no intention of leaving his job even as the White House hinted at the possibility of “personnel changes” to lead the beleaguered agency.

Speaking at a budget hearing, Shulkin expressed regret for “distractions” that have shifted attention from his efforts to fix veterans’ health care and pledged to put the government’s second largest department back on track.

Shulkin, the lone Obama administration holdover in Trump’s Cabinet, praised the congressional oversight committees for largely standing behind him to fix the Department of Veterans Affairs, compared to critics he said were “more interested in politics.”

“With all of the distractions that are happening in Washington and all the distractions in VA, the events that have happened should remind us all about why it’s so important that we’re doing what we’re doing today to get this budget right and get VA on track,” he told a House appropriations subcommittee. “I came here for one reason and that is to improve the lives of veterans.”

Addressing a government investigation under way into his alleged use of security detail for personal errands, Shulkin denied that he was using the taxpayer-paid armed guards any differently from other members of the Trump Cabinet. “I publicly acknowledge the distraction is something I deeply regret,” he said.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders declined to offer an endorsement of Shulkin om Thursday.