Overview

• The Senate voted 54–44 on July 30 to confirm Sam Brown, with only Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jackie Rosen joining Republicans in support
• Brown’s nomination had been held up for months by Democratic senators seeking to pressure VA Secretary Doug Collins over leadership and communication concerns
• As Undersecretary for Memorial Affairs, Brown will oversee more than 150 national cemeteries and memorial sites that inter about 4 million veterans
• A West Point graduate, Brown was severely wounded by an IED in Afghanistan and later founded a firm to supply medications to underinsured veterans
• Republican leaders are considering shortening the August recess to clear a backlog of President Trump’s stalled nominations