During remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) blocked a VA nominee due to concerns that VA Secretary Doug Collins was withholding information regarding planned layoffs and contract cancellations.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00I rise today to seek the confirmation of retired Army Captain Sam Brown to be the
00:12Department of Veterans Affairs Undersecretary for Memorial Affairs. President Trump nominated
00:18Captain Brown for this important position. Sam Brown demonstrates a history of service,
00:23love of country, and commitment to serving other veterans. A West Point graduate,
00:28Afghanistan combat veteran, husband, father of three, Captain Brown understands the
00:34sacrifices the men and women of the United States military and their families make
00:38every day and is well qualified to undertake the significant
00:42responsibility of being the Undersecretary for Memorial Affairs. The National
00:47Cemetery Administration's mission is to honor the memory of our nation's
00:51veterans by caring for their final resting places and providing services to their
00:55surviving loved ones. Captain Brown, if confirmed, will fill this position with
01:00the utmost respect, honoring and remembering those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.
01:05More than 4 million Americans are interred in NCA's 156 national cemeteries. Kansas is
01:13home to three of those cemeteries where more than 62,000 Kansas veterans
01:19and their family members are buried. Another responsibility of the National
01:24Cemetery Administration is safeguarding the veterans' legacies by documenting their stories.
01:28In doing so, NCA helps make certain that no generation of Americans forget the
01:34sacrifices made for our freedoms. Mr. President, notwithstanding Rule 22, I ask
01:41unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to consideration of the following nomination.
01:46That the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate, the motion to
01:53reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the President be
01:56immediately notified of the Senate's action.
01:58I have Sam Brown to be the Undersecretary of Veterans Affairs for Memorial Affairs.
02:12Is there objection? Is there objection? Mr. President.
02:16Senator for Connecticut. Thank you, Mr. President. The Chairman and I share a bipartisan commitment
02:23to putting our veterans first, including providing them with the kind of memorial and cemetery recognition
02:34that they have well earned. There is no difference between us on that point. And I think we also share a belief that members of the United States Senate have a duty,
02:48it's a constitutional duty, to hold accountable the executive branch and demand information from the executive branch to perform our obligations of oversight,
03:02and scrutiny. I think we also share a respect for Sam Brown's service to our nation. As a veteran, as a decorated veteran who has earned appreciation for his service,
03:24the kinds of qualifications he brings to this office are impressive. But this nominee was advanced out of committee by a 10 to 9 vote, so it's clear he does not have unanimous support.
03:44He said when he was asked about whether he would support the Trump Administration's plan to fire nearly one fifth of the VA's workforce, including many who are veterans themselves. In fact, one third of the VA's workforce are veterans.
04:11Quote, we owe it to the Secretary in good faith to hear his full plan, which none of us have heard yet. And that's really the point. This issue is bigger than Sam Brown. It is about information that has been denied to our committee and to us as senators.
04:33The Secretary of the VA is actively working to undermine our bipartisan oversight efforts. Cuts have been made to contracts that deliver critical support and services to veterans.
04:51Despite multiple bipartisan requests. The Secretary refuses to share the list of canceled contracts.
05:00And thousands of VA employees have been bullied, driven off their jobs or fired by Elon Musk and Secretary Collins.
05:10And there are plans to fire 83,000 employees. And we haven't seen those plans. All the Secretary has told us is that it is his goal and he will accomplish that goal.
05:27He's denied us that basic information. And so I have said, I'm opposing this nomination until we are given the information and disclosure we need to do our jobs.
05:45The Secretary has issued a pause on rulemaking that effectively halts efforts underway to provide veterans, including K2 veterans suffering from radiation exposure, the benefits they desperately need or PFAS victims or other victims of toxic exposure.
06:07And he's refused to indicate when this so-called pause will be lifted or whether it's permanent.
06:18Again, we have a job to do. And we have a right to demand. In fact, the Constitution requires that we make that demand.
06:28The VA must be transparent and accountable.
06:33Instead, the Secretary has come before our committee. He's dissembled. He's obfuscated. He's attacked anyone who questions him.
06:43And he denies us the basic information, denies the American people the information that he owes us.
06:52So my request is simple. If the President or my Republican colleagues believe that a certain nominee is a priority,
07:01to come clean with the American people. Give us the information we need. What contracts have been canceled?
07:14Who's impacted by that action? What research has been stopped? Who has been fired and who will be fired? What is the plan?
07:27...address the unprecedented levels of obstructionism from this administration. Give the American people, including our nation's veterans, the full and public debate they deserve.
07:40they deserve. For these reasons, Mr. President, I object.
07:48The objection is heard.
07:49Mr. President, on the last Monday in May, less than two weeks away, we observe Memorial Day.
07:56As Americans, we gather at cemeteries and memorials worldwide to honor the courage and sacrifice
08:02and the legacy of men and women who served and are now in their final resting place.
08:07With the approach of Memorial Day, the United States Senate has a responsibility to honor
08:12the service members who died in service to our nation, and we can, in part, do so by
08:17confirming a qualified leader as the Undersecretary of Memorial Affairs, Captain Sam Brown.
08:25We can do that while we wait for other things to occur. These things are not mutually exclusive,
08:32and Captain Brown could begin to perform the duties of his office.
08:37I urged my colleagues to do so today.
08:42Those laying of our veterans to rest with honor, serving their families with dignity, it's
08:49not a Republican or a Democrat issue, and our committee has worked side by side over a long
08:55period of time in that manner. I'm discouraged that we cannot work in that manner today to
09:01conform this qualified, to confirm this qualified and capable leader for the National Cemetery
09:06Administration. He is responsible, that position is responsible, for carrying out our nation's
09:12most solemn responsibilities in burying our veterans. It is incumbent upon us to confirm a nominee to lead
09:20the NCA and to lead it well, and I believe Captain Sam Brown would do just that.
09:27In his testimony before the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, Captain Brown shared his story
09:31of suffering with excruciating burns in the line of duty in Afghanistan. He recounted how in the midst of
09:38his suffering and anguish he heard his gunner shout the words, Sir, I've got you, as he worked to extinguish
09:45the flames, ultimately saving Captain Brown's life. That declaration of rescue, that cry for support,
09:53that message of hope is the same message of hope that Sam Brown will take with him to the National Cemetery Administration.
10:01Under his leadership, NCA will be there to tell veteran family members and loved ones, we've got you.
10:08The National Cemetery Administration puts veterans first, Sam Brown will put veterans first, and it was my hope
10:15that this body could come together to put veterans first today. Mr. President, I yield the floor.
10:21Senator of Connecticut. Mr. President, I respect the points that my colleague from Kansas has just made
10:31as chairman, and we have worked together in a bipartisan way, and I hope we will continue to work together
10:37to make sure that the National Cemetery Administration is given the resources it needs and the personnel
10:46that are required to make sure this nation honors our veterans. As we speak, members of that workforce,
11:00the National Cemetery Administration, have been fired, or are being fired, or will be fired. Resources
11:09may be strangled. We deserve to know. We need to know to honor our veterans. That's the information
11:19we're demanding from this secretary of the VA. I respect the assurances that Sam Brown will do his job,
11:28but when he was asked, specifically at his hearing,
11:33whether if directed by the president to take action that would break the law, he responded that he could not,
11:43quote, imagine a scenario where the president would ask me to do anything unlawful, end quote. We know the president
11:51has asked members of this administration to do unlawful actions, but the main point is
11:57that he is, bigger than Sam Brown, what are the resources that are being withheld in both workforce
12:09and dollars to expand our cemeteries, as is required to make sure we provide places
12:18that honor our veterans. This basic information is an absolute prerequisite for us to do our job
12:29and assure that veterans are really honored on this Memorial Day and every day of the year. We are our
12:39veterans that honor, honor with action, every day, not just Memorial Day. And American
12:47Americans who lay wreaths this Memorial Day are entitled to know what dollars, what commitments,
13:01what plans there are for our national cemeteries. We need and deserve that disclosure.