WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, today released the following statement regarding Robert Wilkie’s nomination to be secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs:

“I am urging the Senate to hold a vote to confirm Robert Wilkie to be secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs without delay. He is eminently qualified for the position, as evidenced by his overwhelmingly bipartisan approval out of our committee last week. Once confirmed, I stand ready as chairman to work with him in the implementation of the major reforms passed by Congress in recent months and any policy and personnel changes that he deems necessary to best serve the veterans of the United States. It is of utmost importance that any policy changes that impact the future of the department be made by a confirmed VA secretary who can be held accountable by Congress and the American people.”

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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.