Tester: Keith Kelly will stand up for rural America’s veterans

(U.S. SENATE) – Senator Jon Tester today released the following statement after news that Keith Kelly, Commissioner of the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, was nominated to be the next U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Employment and Training. Tester recommended Kelly for the position:

“Keith Kelly is the right man for the job. As a Montanan, Keith will stand up for rural veterans and make sure Washington is focused on increasing their access to good jobs. I’m excited to work with Keith in his new position supporting veterans in Montana and across the country.”

Kelly, who was awarded a Bronze Star and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge for his service with the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, was nominated to run the Labor Department’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service.

Tester, a member of the Senate Veterans Jobs Caucus and Montana’s only member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, recently added a provision to the Veterans Jobs Corps Act to bring more veterans’ job counselors to rural states like Montana. The bill, which was fully paid-for, failed to get the 60 votes it needed to pass.