WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, today applauded the bipartisan committee approval of John Lowry III to be assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service, often referred to as DOL-VETS for short.

“I am glad to again support Mr. Lowry to serve in this important role,” said Isakson. “Employment is the key to ensuring a quality life after service, and the position for which Mr. Lowry has been nominated is critical for that reason. If confirmed, I believe Mr. Lowry will use his vast experience in public service and in the private sector to oversee the seamless transition into civilian life for our nation’s heroes. I urge my Senate colleagues to quickly approve Mr. Lowry so he can get to work serving our nation’s veterans.”

Lowry’s nomination passed the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs by voice vote without dissent. The nomination has also been referred to and approved by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Mr. Lowry will now head to the full Senate for a vote on confirmation.

Mr. Lowry is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and a consultant with Egon Zehnder, a global executive search firm. He previously served as chief operating officer of Allied Recreation Group and was in the senior leadership group of Harley-Davidson. Mr. Lowry served 15 years on active duty in the Marine Corps as an infantry officer and 10 years in the Marine Corps Reserve. His military awards include the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat Valor Device and the Combat Action Ribbon for his 1991 service in the first Gulf War. He holds degrees from Princeton, Stanford, Harvard, and the U.S. Army War College.

The assistant secretary of DOL-VETS is responsible for a range of programs aimed at helping veterans succeed in the civilian workforce. That includes programs such as the Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program, which provides homeless veterans with resources and support to reenter the workforce.

The veterans’ employment agency also works with other federal agencies to offer the Transition Assistance Program to service members at bases around the globe to help service members leaving the military make a smooth transition to all aspects of civilian life.

In addition, the assistant secretary has the important responsibility of administering and enforcing the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994, which protects service members from discrimination on the basis of their service and provides reemployment rights regarding their pre-service civilian jobs.

Isakson chaired a committee hearing last Congress to consider the nominee on June 13, 2018. Lowry was nominated but never confirmed by the Senate during the 115th Congress, and his nomination was resubmitted by the White House earlier this year.

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The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is chaired by U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., in the 116th Congress. Isakson is a veteran himself – having served in the Georgia Air National Guard from 1966-1972 – and has been a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs since he joined the Senate in 2005. Isakson’s home state of Georgia is home to more than a dozen military installations representing each branch of the armed services as well as nearly 700,000 veterans.