Dear President Trump – today is Veterans Day. Today, we honor those, living and dead, who have served in our armed forces.

Yours is the first administration to have a military veteran serving as president or vice president since George W. Bush left office in January 2009. J.D. Vance’s service in the Marine Corps certainly helped set him on the path that has led him to the vice presidency.

Happy Birthday to my fellow Marines! 249 years and counting!

— JD Vance (@JDVance) November 10, 2024

Now, as you and the transition team are currently working on deciding who will be a part of the second Trump administration (and who will not), this also means that a new Secretary of Veterans Affairs will be needed. Even though he would have been an excellent senator from the state of Nevada, Sam Brown would make a fantastic VA Secretary.

First of all, Sam Brown’s amazing personal history would give him instant credibility with the veterans that he would be tasked with serving as VA Secretary. Most of us outside of Nevada first heard Brown speak at the RNC this last July.

America: I served you as a soldier, and I want to serve you again.

Watch my full speech to Nevada and America, from the 2024 Republican National Convention: pic.twitter.com/rk6MR0vcjq

— Sam Brown (@CaptainSamBrown) July 17, 2024

His biography from his campaign website reads:

After Graduating from West Point, he was commissioned as an Infantry Officer and was assigned to the 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division at Fort Hood. In 2008, Sam was deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Only four months into his deployment, Sam was on a mission when he received word that another nearby platoon had been ambushed. So he led his team into battle to provide support for his fellow soldiers.

Upon entering the engagement area a roadside bomb detonated under the fuel tank of his vehicle, leaving him drenched in diesel and covered in flames. By the grace of God, Sam’s gunner was able to extinguish the flames before they took his life.

Following the injuries he sustained, Sam was medically retired from the US Military as a Captain. In the three years following the explosion in Afghanistan, Sam underwent intense physical rehabilitation. During this process of recovery, Sam recognized that God had given him a new life. A life that was intended to be dedicated to the service of God and Country.

Sam enrolled in Southern Methodist University’s MBA (Masters in Business Administration) Program, looking to grow his resume and experience. Once Sam graduated, he took a job as a manager at an Amazon fulfillment center, while also using his newfound set of skills to launch a small business that provides emergency pharmaceutical support to Veterans outside of the VA.

Second, despite his injuries, Brown has not shied away from the spotlight, and he had already declared his candidacy for the Senate when the catastrophic withdrawl from Afghanistan began.

And that interview was done BEFORE the horrific bombing at Abbey Gate. Brown had plenty to say after that, too, calling on Joe Biden to take responsibility and resign.

Also, President Trump, you have already met with and supported Sam Brown during his Senate race.

While incumbent Senator Jacky Rosen ended up winning re-election, the current numbers have Brown trailing her by 1.6%. It was a very close race in a swing state, and it would have been a real boon to Republicans to pick up that seat.

Now, does all of this mean that Brown wants the job of VA Secretary, or would be good at it? Some people definitely think so – and Brown is listening.

Thank you @benshapiro for the suggestion and for your support.

Serving this nation has always been my calling, and though the campaign came up short, my dedication to America remains strong.

So, where should that service take me next? I’d love to hear your thoughts below! https://t.co/zRhh1ynNQU pic.twitter.com/bLm7UTXUrI

— Sam Brown (@CaptainSamBrown) November 10, 2024

Being a veteran is not a requirement of being Secretary of Veterans Affairs – but it would be a definite plus. After all the disasters at the VA during the Obama administration, some fixes regarding accessibility at the local level were made. But, as this story from last April illustrates, the Department of Veterans Affairs is hardly experiencing smooth sailing.

The VA has requested $369.3 billion for its fiscal 2025 budget, including nearly $150 billion for health care. Within that amount, the VA has allocated $86 billion for care provided in VA hospitals and clinics and $41 billion for private network care.

The rise in cost and utilization of the latter, commonly referred to as community care, and the Biden administration’s focus on providing care to veterans in VA facilities, have set off debate among lawmakers during this year’s budget deliberations over how to fund VA care and where veterans should get their medical treatment.

Democrats largely want to strengthen the VA’s own medical infrastructure and staff, which they argue is less expensive and provides better care for veterans, while Republicans want the VA to focus on providing quality care while also allowing veterans to choose who they want to see, including outside the VA.

VA officials have warned that the department’s community care budget is growing unsustainably, and they favor improving VA programs and services and ensuring that veterans get care in VA hospitals and clinics.

“Right now, we’re at a critical moment for shaping and securing the future of veteran health care in America, so we will work reliably to offer a VA care option to every veteran, even vets who qualify for community care admission,” VA Secretary Denis McDonough said Thursday in a hearing before the House Veterans Affairs Committee. “We want to bring as many vets as possible into our care, because study after study shows that vets do better at VA.”

Nominating Sam Brown to take the job (should he choose to accept) would be a huge step in gaining instant credibility for the incoming Trump administration to begin figuring out the appropriate allocations for this huge budget. Not only is Brown a combat veteran, but he also has used the services that the VA has to offer. In a Republican-controlled Senate, his confirmation would be guaranteed.

Mr. President, if Brown is willing to take the job, I’d give it to him. A Purple Heart veteran of Afghanistan being Secretary of Veterans Affairs sounds like a winner to me.

Featured image: Retired Captain Sam Brown of Nevada via Wikimedia Commons, cropped, public domain