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Floor Speech

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Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, I rise today to seek the confirmation of Retired Army CPT Sam Brown to be the Department of Veterans Affairs Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs.

President Trump nominated Captain Brown for this important position. Sam Brown demonstrates a history of service, love of country, and commitment to serving other veterans. A West Point graduate, Afghanistan combat veteran, husband, and father of three, Captain Brown understands the sacrifices the men and women of the U.S. military and their families make every day and is well-qualified to undertake the significant responsibility of being the Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs.

The National Cemetery Administration's mission is to honor the memory of our Nation's veterans by caring for their final resting places and providing services to their surviving loved ones. Captain Brown, if confirmed, will fill this position with the utmost respect, honoring and remembering those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

More than 4 million Americans are interred in NCA's 156 national cemeteries. Kansas is home to 3 of those cemeteries, where more than 62,000 Kansas veterans and their family members are buried.

Another responsibility of the National Cemetery Administration is safeguarding the veterans' legacies by documenting their stories. In doing so, NCA helps to make certain that no generation of Americans forgets the sacrifices made for our freedoms.

85, Sam Brown, to be Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Memorial Affairs; that the Senate vote on the nomination, without intervening action or debate; that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

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Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, on the last Monday of May--less than 2 weeks away--we observe Memorial Day. As Americans, we gather at cemeteries and memorials worldwide to honor the courage, sacrifice, and legacy of the men and women who served and are now in their final resting place.

With the approach of Memorial Day, the U.S. Senate has the responsibility to honor the servicemembers who died in service to our Nation. And we can, in part, do so by confirming a qualified leader as the Under Secretary of Memorial Affairs, CPT Sam Brown. We can do that while we wait for other things to occur. These things are not mutually exclusive. Captain Brown could begin to perform the duties of his office.

I urged my colleagues to do so today. Those laying of our veterans to rest with honor, serving their families with dignity--it is not a Republican or a Democratic issue--and our committee has worked side by side over a long period of time in that manner.

I am discouraged that we cannot work in that manner today to confirm this qualified and capable leader for the National Cemetery Administration. That position is responsible for carrying out our Nation's most solemn responsibilities in burying our veterans. It is incumbent upon us to confirm a nominee to lead the NCA and to lead it well. I believe CPT Sam Brown would do just that.

In his testimony before the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Captain Brown shared his story of suffering excruciating burns in the line of duty in Afghanistan. He recounted how, in the midst of his suffering and anguish, he heard his gunner shout the words: Sir, I've got you, as he worked to extinguish the flames, ultimately saving Captain Brown's life. That declaration of rescue, that cry for support, that message of hope is the same message of hope that Sam Brown will take with him to the National Cemetery Administration.

Under his leadership, NCA will be there to tell veterans' family members and loved ones: We've got you.

The National Cemetery Administration puts veterans first. Sam Brown will put veterans first. And it was my hope that this body could come together to put veterans first today.

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