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Floor Speech
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Mr. TESTER. Madam President, with a historic number of veterans receiving care and benefits under the PACT Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs needs a qualified second-in-command.
Now more than ever, the VA needs a steady hand to uphold its mission to deliver veterans the healthcare and benefits that they have earned.
I rise today because Tanya Bradsher is that leader. She has an impressive record of serving our country in and out of uniform, especially in her current role--which is VA Chief of Staff--where she has been critical in overseeing the Department's implementation of the PACT Act.
Between her time serving in the U.S. Army--including a deployment to Iraq--and working in Congress and working at the White House and the Defense Health Agency and at the Department of Homeland Security, it is clear that she is qualified for the job and ready to hit the ground running to serve our Nation's veterans.
It is no secret that the VA has a lot of work on its plate. From rolling out the Electronic Health Record Modernization program to working with the Defense Department to improve transition process for servicemembers who are leaving the military, these are challenges VA's No. 2 official is directly tasked with, all while running the day-to- day operations of the VA.
That is why this body needs to come together in a bipartisan way to make Tanya Bradsher the permanent leader--the leader who will tackle these challenges and ensure that the VA is upholding its mission to the veterans and their families.
The fact is, having a permanent leader in this role ensures that we can hold the VA accountable to do their job. And our veterans deserve no less.
In the past, this body has been able to rise above politics to install qualified individuals at the VA responsible for getting vets the healthcare and the benefits they need and that they have earned. Today, we must do that again to confirm Tanya Bradsher as VA's next Deputy Secretary and making her the first woman ever confirmed for this position.
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