Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., is greeted by Air Force Lt. Col. David Hind at Naval Air Station Sigonella in 2021. (Kegan Kay/U.S. Navy)
WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas is poised to become chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee after Republicans wrested control of the upper chamber from Democrats this week.
Moran previously led the panel, which is responsible for oversight of veterans issues, from 2020 to 2021. He is now the most senior Republican on the committee and is set to take over its leadership when a new Congress convenes in January.
The majority party member with the greatest seniority on a committee traditionally serves as chairman or chairwoman.
Moran would replace Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., in the top post. Tester lost his reelection bid Tuesday to Republican Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL.
As the panel’s top Republican, Moran pledged to focus on preventing veteran suicide, tackling veteran homelessness, overseeing the modernization of Department of Veterans Affairs facilities and health records and monitoring the implementation of the PACT Act, a landmark bill expanding health and disability benefits.
He said he looked forward to “working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to continue advocating for our veterans and delivering results for the nation’s heroes.”
Moran has served on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee since his election to the Senate in 2011. As a member of the House of Representatives, he sat on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee for more than a decade.
When he took over the chairmanship of the Senate’s veterans panel in 2020, Moran vowed to look to veterans for ideas and solutions on how to improve the lives of former service members.
“There is no group of people I hold in higher regard than those who serve our nation, and I take seriously the responsibility of providing our veterans with the best our country has to offer,” he said at the time.
