Why It Matters
President Donald Trump’s nominees to lead key parts of the veterans’ appeals system faced Democratic scrutiny over their lack of veterans’ benefits law experience, with senators raising additional concerns about nominee Robert Fleck’s role in a VA guardianship program and Daniel Rendleman’s past writings on abortion.
The Trump administration put forward five people to head the major components of the veterans' judicial system: Maria Chapa Lopez to take charge of the Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA), and Robert R. Fleck, David M. Jones, Daniel F. Rendleman and James Lewis Quinn to serve as judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC).
During a nomination hearing on September 23, the Democrats, with Ranking Member Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) at the forefront, stated that none of the five had direct experience in veterans' benefits law and focused their criticism on Fleck regarding a guardianship policy connected to a veteran's death.
The Big Picture
A Congressional Research Service brief current as of Sept. 16 found the CAVC had seven active judges, three vacancies, and four pending nominees. Public Law 118-196 created Jones's seat, signed Dec. 23, 2024.
A federal watchdog report issued the day before the hearing found the VA had terminated 435 contract actions valued at approximately $1.1 billion following requests from DOGE, the General Services Administration and senior VA advisers, according to Military Times. Blumenthal and Sen. Angus King (I-ME) had requested the inspector general examination in June 2025. The Legis1 hearing record shows no legislation is linked to the nominations.
What They're Saying
To start, Blumenthal issued a strong statement saying he is deeply concerned that none of the candidates have any experience in veterans' benefits law, whether as judges, lawyers, or advocates for veterans.
Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), who chairs the committee, replied, "Each of the men and women having their nominations under consideration has an extensive record of public service obtained by serving in the military, in the justice system, in the executive branch and in the United States Senate."
The most pointed exchange occurred when Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) outlined the case of Stephen Stryker, a Navy veteran whose court-appointed guardian had removed his feeding tube and signed a do-not-resuscitate order contrary to his wishes before he died in 2019. Turning to Fleck, who helped set up the VA guardianship program, she asked, "How can the American people be sure that you will act in the best interests of veterans?" and ended by saying, "I will not support your confirmation." Fleck defended the procedure, saying it was meant to serve veterans' best interests.
Sen. Angus S. King (I-ME) pressed BVA nominee Lopez on presidential stock trading ethics; she cited the conflict-of-interest statute's exclusion of the president and vice president. King compared the ethics office to a "Maytag repairman."
Political Stakes
A letter was sent to the committee by 30 organizations, among them the National Women's Law Center and the Minority Veterans of America, against Rendleman because of an article he published in The Federalist in 2017 in which he stated that "abortion is murder and, therefore, the greatest moral failing of our time". Rendleman informed the committee that he would "faithfully and unbiasedly apply the rules as promulgated by the political branches to the facts without regard to my own personal views".
Blumenthal also mentioned the reduction in the Board of Veterans' Appeals' budget, which he called a cut, along with a hiring freeze that he said led to the dismissal of employees and senior leaders.
The Bottom Line
The hearing served as a procedural hurdle since no vote was held. The committee had to act for the nominations to reach the Senate floor. By the end of the hearing, the Democratic opposition to Fleck and Rendleman was clear.
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