Senate confirms Georgia’s Doug Collins as new VA secretary
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed former Georgia Congressman Doug Collins as secretary of veterans affairs, putting the Iraq War veteran at the helm of a department that provides crucial care to America’s veterans.
Collins, a former Air Force chaplain, was confirmed on a 77-23 vote, becoming the latest addition to President Donald Trump’s Cabinet.
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., voted for Collins and offered his congratulations.
“I congratulate Congressman Collins on his confirmation as our next VA Secretary and look forward to working with him to ensure Georgia’s veterans receive the care, , and respect they’ve earned,” Ossoff said.
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Ossoff serves as ranking member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, which oversees the VA budget.
Ossoff met with Collins during the confirmation process to discuss key priorities, including cutting wait times for community care appointments, strengthening mental health care services and expanding access to benefits in underserved areas.
Rep. Rick Allen, R-Augusta, also congratulated Collins.
“I congratulate Doug Collins on his confirmation to serve as our nation’s secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs,” Allen said. “As a veteran himself and a dedicated public servant, Doug will undoubtedly fight to ensure America’s veterans receive the quality care they deserve. Today’s Senate confirmation vote is a win for those who have answered the call to defend our freedoms at home and abroad.”
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The Department of Veterans Affairs manages a more than $350 billion budget and oversees nearly 200 medical centers and hospitals nationwide – including the Chalie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta.
VA also manages national cemeteries and works closely with the Defense Department on personnel matters.
Collins has promised to cut regulations across the department and elevate the quality of care for veterans.
The challenges facing the department have evolved in recent years, with a younger generation of veterans bringing new health challenges from their service in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
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“I’m an Iraq War veteran. I understand burn pits because I slept next to one for many months,” Collins said in his opening remarks during his January confirmation hearing. Collins said that he understand the challenges facing veterans today who “went time and time again, deployment after deployment” to conflict zones.
Collins served in the House of Representatives from 2013 to 2021. He has been an outspoken conservative since his time in the Georgia state legislature and was a close Trump ally during the president’s first term. He ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 2020 but lost the Republican primary to Kelly Loeffler, a major GOP donor who Trump has tapped to lead the U.S. Small Business Association.
Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., called Collins a “friend” who has “an engaging personality that attracts people to what he’s working on.”
“It’s not that they’re better doctors or better psychiatrists or better nurses or technicians. It’s that they’re empathetic,” Cramer said. “While they appreciate access to community care, they appreciate the empathy of a fellow veteran, and Doug brings that. But, guys, he’s a chaplain. I mean, come on, how perfect is that?”
Collins’ nomination sailed through the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee in a 18-1 vote. The lone dissenter, Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said she was concerned that Collins would limit access to reproductive care like IVF or abortion for veterans.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., said she had a productive conversation with Collins during his confirmation hearing but pressed him on whether he’d commit to working with Congress to “strengthen and refine” the department “rather than resorting to privatization.”
Collins said he would be focused on addressing wait times and increasing preventative care.
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