WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, today applauded the bipartisan committee approval of six U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims nominations, including Tom Bowman as deputy secretary of the VA.

Following today’s voice vote, the nominations now move to the full Senate for a vote.

“I’m proud to send six exceptional nominees to the full Senate for a vote so they can get to work on behalf of our nation’s veterans. I have full confidence that each will use their vast experience to do great things for our veterans in their future roles at the VA and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims,” said Isakson. “I urge the full Senate to quickly approve these nominees so they can assume their positions and serve veterans well.”

Bowman, a veteran himself, brings a long career of working on behalf of veterans to the position. Most recently, Bowman has served as majority staff director of the Senate VA committee since January 2015, when Isakson took over as chairman.

The Senate VA committee also voted to approve Brooks Tucker to be VA assistant secretary for congressional and legislative affairs and James Byrne to serve as general counsel of the VA.

Amanda L. Meredith, Michael P. Allen, and Joseph L. Toth were also voted out of committee as nominees to be judges on the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

Meredith has served as the deputy staff director and general counsel for the Republican staff of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs under Isakson as chairman since 2015. Meredith has spent the past 12 years in the U.S. Senate working on the Senate VA committee and worked at the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims for nearly eight years.

Isakson chaired a committee hearing to consider the nominees on Wednesday, July 19.

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The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is chaired by U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., in the 115th 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 more than 750,000 veterans.