Press Releases

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) today applauded the Senate’s confirmation of Tanya Bradsher, his former Chief of Staff, to serve as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

“I am thrilled for Tanya, who was a wonderful Chief of Staff, remains a dear friend, and who is deeply committed to supporting and helping her fellow veterans,” said Rep. Beyer. “Tanya just made history as the first woman and first woman of color ever confirmed to this position, and she will also bring the knowledge and perspective of a fourth generation Army soldier to the highest levels of leadership at the V.A. I have no doubt that America’s veterans will be better off for Tanya’s service, I congratulate her for her confirmation, and send my best to Tanya, her husband John, and their daughters Charlotte, Catherine, and Christine.”

Tanya Bradsher is the first woman confirmed to serve as Deputy Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs, and the first woman of color to hold the post in either an acting or a confirmed capacity. Her nomination was reported favorably by the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs in July, with Chairman Jon Tester touting her strong qualifications as he urged his Senate colleagues to vote in favor of Bradsher’s confirmation earlier this week.

She previously became Rep. Beyer’s second Chief of Staff in April of 2019, departing in 2021 to serve in the Biden-Harris Administration, where she became Chief of Staff for Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs Denis McDonough. Bradsher previously served in the Army, including service on the Korean peninsula and at the Pentagon on 9/11, and then in the Obama Administration at the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, and elsewhere. She is a native of Arlington.