Doug Collins confirmed as veterans affairs secretary as Trump Cabinet takes shape

WASHINGTON — 

The U.S. Senate connected Tuesday confirmed Doug Collins arsenic caput of veterans affairs, putting the erstwhile congressman and Iraq War seasoned astatine the helm of a section that provides important attraction to America's veterans.

Collins, a erstwhile Air Force chaplain, was confirmed connected a 77-23 vote, becoming the latest summation to President Donald Trump's Cabinet.

"We indispensable instrumentality attraction of our brave men and women successful uniform, and Doug volition beryllium a large advocator for our progressive work work members, veterans, and subject families to guarantee they person the enactment they need," Trump said successful a November connection announcing Collins' nomination.

The Department of Veterans Affairs manages a much than $350 cardinal fund and oversees astir 200 aesculapian centers and hospitals nationwide. It besides manages nationalist cemeteries and works intimately with the Defense Department connected unit matters.

Collins has promised to chopped regulations crossed the section and elevate the prime of attraction for veterans.

The challenges facing the section person evolved successful caller years, with a younger procreation of veterans bringing caller wellness challenges from their work successful the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

"I'm an Iraq War veteran. I recognize pain pits due to the fact that I slept adjacent to 1 for galore months," Collins said successful his opening remarks during his January confirmation hearing. Collins said that helium understands the challenges facing veterans contiguous who "went clip and clip again, deployment aft deployment" to struggle zones.

Collins served successful the House of Representatives from 2013 to 2021. He has been an outspoken blimpish since his clip successful the Georgia authorities legislature and was a adjacent Trump state during the president's archetypal term. He ran unsuccessfully for Senate successful 2020 but mislaid the Republican superior to Kelly Loeffler, a large GOP donor who Trump has tapped to pb the U.S. Small Business Association.

Senator Kevin Cramer, a Republican from North Dakota, called Collins a "friend" who has "an engaging property that attracts radical to what he's moving on."

"It's not that they're amended doctors oregon amended psychiatrists oregon amended nurses oregon technicians. It's that they're empathetic," Cramer said. "While they admit entree to assemblage care, they admit the empathy of a chap veteran, and Doug brings that. But, guys, he's a chaplain. I mean, travel on, however cleanable is that?"

Collins' information sailed done the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee successful a 18-1 vote. The lone dissenter, Senator Mazie Hirono, a Democrat from Hawaii, said she was acrophobic that Collins would bounds entree to reproductive attraction similar IVF oregon termination for veterans.

Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat, said she had a productive speech with Collins during his confirmation proceeding but pressed him connected whether he'd perpetrate to moving with Congress to "strengthen and refine" the section "rather than resorting to privatization."

Collins said helium would beryllium focused connected addressing hold times and expanding preventative care.