Senate confirms Doug Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs

The Senate confirmed erstwhile Rep. Doug Collins to pb the Department of Veterans’ Affairs connected Tuesday.

Collins scored 1 of the widest bipartisan votes of immoderate Trump Cabinet nominee truthful far: 77 to 23. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was confirmed 99-0. 

The Air Force Reserve chaplain served successful Congress from 2013 to 2021, wherever helium defended President Donald Trump during the 2019 impeachment inquiry.

Collins besides passed done the Veterans’ Affairs Committee connected a wide bipartisan ballot – lone Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, had voted against him. 

Collins volition present caput disconnected an bureau marred by fund shortfalls, millions paid retired to executives who weren’t eligible to person them, and complaints from veterans of agelong hold times for care. It’ll beryllium his archetypal clip starring an enactment arsenic sprawling arsenic the VA and its 400,000 employees and 1,300 wellness facilities. 

HAWAII'S HIRONO ONLY SENATOR TO VOTE NO ON COLLINS, CONTINUING PARTISAN STREAK AT HEARINGS

Former Representative Doug Collins (R-GA), U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Veterans Affairs, testifies earlier a Senate Veterans Affairs committee confirmation hearing 

"I bash not travel into this with rose-colored glasses. This is simply a ample undertaking that I consciousness called to beryllium at," Collins said. "When a seasoned has to telephone a congressman oregon senator’s bureau to get the attraction they person already earned, it’s a people of failure."

In effect to questions astir Trump’s absorption connected fund cuts and a hiring freeze, Collins said helium would enactment to guarantee that did not travel astatine the disbursal of veterans’ care. 

"I'm gonna instrumentality attraction of the veterans. That means that we're not gonna equilibrium budgets connected the backmost of veterans benefits."

Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., is pictured during his failed 2020 Senate bid  (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Collins said helium aligned with Trump connected allowing veterans prime for their healthcare. Trump during his archetypal word pushed done the Mission Act, which allowed veterans to take the VA oregon backstage attraction successful their communities. 

"I judge you tin person both. I judge you person a beardown VA arsenic it presently exists and person the assemblage attraction aspect," helium said.

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Democrats repeatedly asked Collins to committedness not to privatize the VA, truthful galore times that Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., asked him to "pinky swear" not to bash it. Collins held up his pinky to committedness that would not happen.