Montana’s Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester took over as chair of the Senate’s Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Wednesday. Tester had been the committee's top-ranking Democrat since 2017, and took over as chairman from Republican Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas.
“I appreciate this committee for all the reasons we sit on this committee," Tester said during his opening remarks. "It’s been bipartisan, it’s been non-political and we’ve tried to do the best by our veterans whether you are on the Republican side of the aisle or the Democratic side of the aisle.”
The Committee heard testimony from President Joe Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Denis McDonough. Tester and Moran both expressed their support for McDonough’s nomination. A final committee vote is expected on Tuesday.