Mr. President, as if in executive session, I ask consent to move to proceed to Executive Calendar No. 176 and make a point of order that the nomination was not properly reported. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The point of order is sustained. The nomination will be returned to committee.

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. Mr. President, notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of the following nomination: Executive Calendar No. 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. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? The Senator from Connecticut. Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, the chairman and I share a bipartisan commitment to putting our veterans first, including providing them with the kind of memorial and cemetery recognition that 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 U.S. Senate have a duty--it is a constitutional duty--to hold accountable the executive branch and demand information from the executive branch to perform our obligations of oversight and 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, the 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 is clear he does not have unanimous support. He 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: We owe it to the Secretary in good faith to hear his full plan, which none of us have heard yet. That is 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. The Secretary of the VA is actively working to undermine our bipartisan oversight efforts. Cuts have been made to contracts that delivered critical support and services to veterans. Despite multiple bipartisan requests, the Secretary refuses to share the list of canceled contracts. Thousands of VA employees have been bullied, driven off their jobs, or fired by Elon Musk and Secretary Collins. And 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. He denied us that basic information. So I have said I am opposing this nomination until we are given the information and disclosure we need to do our jobs. The 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. And he has refused to indicate when this so- called pause will be lifted or whether it is permanent. Again, we have a job to do, and we have a right to demand--in fact, the Constitution requires that we make that demand--the VA must be transparent and accountable. Instead, the Secretary has come before our committee. He dissembled, he obfuscated, he has attacked anyone who questions him, and he denies us the basic information--denies the American people the information--that he owes us. My request is simple. If the President or my Republican colleagues believe that a certain nominee is a priority, come clean with the American people. Give us the information we need. What contracts have been canceled? Who is impacted by that action? What research has been stopped? Who has been fired, and who will be fired? What is the plan? Address the unprecedented levels of obstructionism from this administration and give the American people, including our Nation's veterans, the full and public debate they deserve. For these reasons, I object. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard. 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. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut. Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, I respect the points that my colleague from Kansas has just made as chairman. We have worked together in a bipartisan way. I hope we will continue to work together to make sure that the National Cemetery Administration is given the resources it needs and the personnel that are required to make sure this Nation honors our veterans. As we speak, members of that workforce, the National Cemetery Administration, have been fired or are being fired or will be fired. Resources may be strangled. We deserve to know--we need to know--to honor our veterans. That is the information we are demanding from this Secretary of the VA. I respect the assurances that Sam Brown will do his job. But when he was asked specifically at his hearing whether, if directed by the President to take action that would break the law, he responded that he could not ``imagine a scenario where the President would ask me to do anything unlawful.'' We know the President has asked members of this administration to do unlawful actions. But the main point is bigger than Sam Brown. What are the resources that are being withheld in both workforce and dollars to expand our cemeteries as is required to make sure we provide places that honor our veterans? This basic information is an absolute prerequisite for us to do our job and assure that veterans are really honored on this Memorial Day and every day of the year. We owe our veterans that honor--honor with action--every day, not just Memorial Day. Americans who lay wreaths this Memorial Day are entitled to know what dollars, what commitments, what plans there are for our national cemeteries. We need and deserve that disclosure. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kansas. Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 81 (Wednesday, May 14, 2025) Waiving Quorum Call

Madam President, I intend to ask for a unanimous consent agreement in regard to this issue of our care and the well-being of our veterans. I would indicate that, to my knowledge, the Department of Veterans Affairs has 1,500 fewer employees today than it did at the beginning of the year. While there is conversation and talk and, in fact, a stated goal about the sizing of the Department, those steps, either because they are not yet ready at the Department of Veterans Affairs to take those steps, the evaluations and understanding of what is necessary for the right-sizing of the workforce, haven't been completed or courts have put in place a stay against any reductions in the workforce. Today, we are 1,550 fewer employees at the Department than we were at the beginning of the year. I would also remind my colleagues that in the last administration, late in the budget request by the Biden administration, there was a request for the reduction of 10,000 employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs. The goal that we would say in our sense of the Senate is that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs should make certain that staffing levels at the Department of Veterans Affairs meet veteran demand to efficiently deliver timely, high-quality healthcare benefits; that the Secretary, in close coordination with Congress, with veteran service organizations, and other such stakeholders as the Secretary would deem necessary, needs to consult with them in reshaping the workforce of the Department; and that we should further enhance our efforts to reduce veteran suicide and improve veterans' mental care. The Secretary should faithfully follow the MISSION Act in allowing for care in the community. The Secretary should conduct a comprehensive review of policies governing official time to ensure that taxpayer dollars are utilized efficiently and that the primary mission of the Department of supporting veterans is fully prioritized and that the Department's leadership and management should have the ability to act swiftly to ensure we remove employees who have engaged in misconduct or whose actions and performances fall short in providing high-quality care and benefits. The Secretary should enhance the efficiency, accountability, and cost management in the acquisition programs in the Department. We need to make changes at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and this resolution would indicate our support for doing so. I would now say, as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to the consideration of my resolution, which is at the desk. I further ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, that the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? The Senator from Connecticut. Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Reserving the right to object, let me first say I appreciate the work of my colleague, the chairman of the VA Committee, where I am the ranking Democrat. Chairman Moran and I work together in a very bipartisan way on a lot of legislation. I would like to support his resolution, but we received it only about an hour ago, and so I have been unable to check with my colleagues on this side as to whether there is any objection among them. Second, although I would like to support it, I have to say no, not because of something it has but what it lacks, and that is, it fails to mention anything about the Trump-Musk assault on the VA and its workforce and particularly the negative impacts of those actions on veterans' mental health and suicide prevention. It fails to call for restoring the VA's skilled professional workforce that is necessary to provide sufficient healthcare, particularly mental health care. I should also note that prior to Secretary Collins and DOGE, wait times for care--before they took over and seized control, wait times actually decreased in 2024 while the number of new patient appointments increased by 11 percent. So this idea that somehow the VA was wholly failing before this administration is exactly the opposite of reality. The time to process each claim actually decreased. The VA processed 116,192 veterans' appeals, representing a 12.5-increase over last year's record. Those are claims for disability and compensation. Additionally, under the previous administration, veteran homelessness reached record lows--a 55.6-percent reduction since 2010. The VA also made it easier for veterans to seek mental health care while reducing wait times for that care in new appointments. Claims that the VA has been placing more barriers for veterans to receive care in the VA and through community care are simply untrue. Since 2019, the VA has made enormous improvements in customer service and has become more welcoming to veterans through historic outreach. If we listen to veterans, as I do every weekend because I go home every weekend, what I hear is customer satisfaction rising and happiness with VA healthcare. Sure, there are criticisms, and we need to meet those criticisms. There are shortcomings, and we need to improve VA healthcare to address those shortcomings. But VA trust has increased to the point of 80.4 percent this year--an alltime record and an increase of 25 percent since 2016. Let me just say about labor rights and union activities at the VA, labor organizing and collective bargaining actually expedite conflict resolution. It reduces legal costs. It actually saves money through collective bargaining, not to mention the waste, fraud, and abuse that it helps the Department uncover and address. Those negotiations have allowed the Department to bar criminally bad actors from receiving settlement funds and being reinstated. There is a lot more to say on this topic, but let me just finish by saying that I hope we can work together. I hope the chairman and I can work together in a bipartisan way to put together our two resolutions and devise one that will pass muster on both sides. Because of the shortcomings of this resolution, I object. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard. The Senator from Vermont. Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 64 (Wednesday, April 9, 2025) Unanimous Consent Request--S. Res. 165