WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today highlighted the outstanding qualifications of Tom Bowman to serve in the second-highest position at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) during a committee hearing held today. As President Trump’s nominee to be deputy secretary at the VA, 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.

“In the nearly three years of working with him, I’ve never worked with a more competent or supportive individual than Tom Bowman,” said Isakson. “He is one of the reasons we have been able to accomplish so many things as a committee.”

In addition to Bowman’s nomination, the committee considered five others nominated to serve in various Senate-confirmed roles at the VA and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims during today’s hearing.

The committee heard from Brooks Tucker, the nominee to be VA assistant secretary for Congressional and Legislative Affairs, as well as James Byrne who has been nominated to serve as general counsel of the VA. Tucker is a retired Lieutenant Colonel and has over 25 years of professional experience. He currently works as a senior advisor at the VA. Byrne is also a veteran with more than 20 years of experience, including serving at the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office of Special Counsel.

Amanda L. Meredith, Michael P. Allen, and Joseph L. Toth are all nominees to be judges on the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Isakson said it is “tremendous honor” to serve in this role, and he believes each nominee will do a “great job” serving in this important position.

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.

During today’s hearing, Isakson announced a committee vote on all six nominees will be held Thursday, July 20. He also urged the Senate to follow suit and quickly confirm Bowman and the other nominations considered at today’s hearing.

“It’s very important we get this done before we leave here for the August state work period so we can get the deck clear and they can all go to work. Every day they’re not working, that is not good for our country or for our veterans,” said Isakson.

Click here to view Isakson’s opening remarks.

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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.