(U.S. Senate) – Ranking Member Jon Tester (D-Mont.) today released the following statement following the confirmation of Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) as the 12^th Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee:

“As Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, I’m confident Senator Moran will continue his steadfast advocacy for this country’s veterans. I look forward to hitting the ground running together on a number of legislative priorities, including our bipartisan Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act, which aims to aggressively combat the veteran suicide epidemic by providing more folks with the mental health care services they need. And I look forward to working with him to ensure we continue to hold the Department of Veterans Affairs accountable in delivering timely, quality, and robust care and benefits to all veterans.”

Senators Tester and Moran have served together on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee since 2011. On March 13, 2019, the Senators introduced their bipartisan Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act, comprehensive legislation to connect more veterans with the mental health care they need and earned. In November, they joined Washington Post Live to recognize Veterans Day and discuss key priorities as influential members of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.