President Barack Obama chose Duckworth to be the public face of the VA as assistant secretary of public and intergovernmental affairs.

by Larry Scott, VA Watchdog dot Org

Tammy Duckworth's nomination to become VA's Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs is one step closer to reality.

The confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs went smoothly.  All appeared in order.

Then it was discovered that Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), Ranking Member on the Committee was holding up the confirmation vote.

The Committee's Chairman, Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI), expressed concern over the delay.

Then, it was announced that Burr had backed off and the confirmation would go forward.

The Committee voted in a late night meeting on Monday, April 20, 2009.  The vote was unanimous.

Akaka announced the Committee's decision:

'With the Senate’s final approval, Major Duckworth will be Secretary Shinseki’s first confirmed Assistant Secretary. While I have been frustrated that this vote was held up and her confirmation delayed, I am pleased that Tammy received the unanimous support of the committee today', said Akaka.

The full Senate is expected to vote on the Duckworth nomination at any time.

Since there is no opposition, it is expected to be a voice vote with Duckworth being confirmed by unanimous consent.