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Floor Speech

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Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, today I want to speak on the nomination that we are considering now. That nomination is of retired Army CPT Sam Brown to be the Department of Veterans Affairs Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs.

The Under Secretary of Memorial Affairs is responsible for making certain the National Cemetery Administration honors the memory of our Nation's veterans by caring for their final resting places and providing services to their surviving loved ones.

More than 4 million Americans are laid to rest in NCA's 156 national cemeteries. Kansas, my home State, is home to three of those NCA cemeteries where more than 62,000 Kansas veterans and their family members are now buried. We must have an Under Secretary who treats this position with the utmost respect and understands the importance in honoring and remembering those who pay an ultimate sacrifice.

We also need confirmed permanent leadership at the VA filling roles that are critical to serving veterans and their families.

Today, we are voting on a leadership role that has a no-fail mission to make certain veterans' families have a dignified place to grieve and to remember their loved ones.

Our nominee is a West Point graduate, combat veteran, a husband and father of three. CPT Sam Brown understands sacrifices made every day by men and women of the U.S. military and their families as well, and he is well-equipped to undertake this significant responsibility. In his testimony before the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Captain Brown shared how he suffered painful burns in the line of duty in Afghanistan. His testimony included how he heard his gunner, who ultimately saved his life. That gunner shouted: Sir, I've got you, in the midst of the flames. That is the same message of hope that I know Captain Brown will take with him to the National Cemetery Administration. That is the same attitude of service that I expect he will instill in an entire NCA workforce as they fulfill our solemn obligation to the families of our Nation's veterans.

I am grateful to Captain Brown for his service to our country, for his sacrifice, and now for his willingness to continue serving his country in this new capacity. I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting his confirmation today.

I thank my colleagues for listening.

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