[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 130 (Tuesday, July 29, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S4802]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Nomination of Samuel Brown

  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.