WASHINGTON — An Army veteran will serve as the first woman in the second-highest leadership post at the Department of Veterans Affairs after earning a long-awaited confirmation by the Senate.

Tanya Bradsher, 53, will be sworn in as VA deputy secretary in the coming days and be the first woman of color in the job. She spent 20 years in the Army and deployed to Iraq before retiring as a lieutenant colonel and forging a career in government.

“Now more than ever, the [VA] needs a strong second-in-command to uphold its mission to deliver veterans the health care and benefits they have earned, and having a confirmed leader in this role better ensures we can hold VA accountable,” said Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., the chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

Bradsher was confirmed in a 50-46 vote on Tuesday following a two-month hold on her nomination by Sen.

Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who had objected to her performance as the current chief of staff to VA Secretary Denis McDonough.

Grassley and other Republicans took issue with Bradsher’s role in overseeing an internal VA correspondence service known as VIEWS that did not properly secure the personal information of veterans, employees and whistleblowers. Bradsher’s critics said she and others at the department stonewalled lawmakers looking into the problem.

“I will oppose this nominee due to the well-documented stiff-arm she has given Congress, her failure to protect sensitive veteran information, and her penchant for providing misleading information to the Senate,” Grassley said last week.

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