{"id":68721,"date":"2023-07-18T21:16:40","date_gmt":"2023-07-18T21:16:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/07\/18\/gop-senator-blocks-historic-va-leadership-nominee\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T15:33:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:33:04","slug":"gop-senator-blocks-historic-va-leadership-nominee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2023\/07\/18\/gop-senator-blocks-historic-va-leadership-nominee\/","title":{"rendered":"Republican senator blocks historic VA leadership nominee"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A senior Republican senator announced plans Tuesday to block the historic confirmation of Veterans\u2019 Affairs<\/a> first female deputy secretary over concerns that the nominee failed to protect personal information of whistleblowers during her duties as department chief of staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Army veteran Tanya Bradsher<\/a>, who if confirmed would be the highest-ranking woman to serve full-time in the department\u2019s leadership, was advanced by the Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee last week by a 13-6 vote and was expected to come up for a full chamber vote in coming days. But Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa,<\/a> said he will use procedural rules to block any quick consideration of her nomination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe shouldn\u2019t confirm a nominee who represents business as usual and continued inattention to Congress and our veterans,\u201d he said in a floor speech announcing his hold. \u201cI urge my colleagues to vote against this nomination until we get the answers to these problems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bradsher, 53, has served as chief of staff to VA Secretary Denis McDonough <\/a>since March 2021. Grassley\u2019s concerns center on Bradsher\u2019s oversight responsibilities for VA\u2019s Integrated Enterprise Workflow Solution (VIEWS) system, which tracks all department correspondence.<\/p>\n\n\n\t