Former Rep. Doug Collins Chosen by Trump as Secretary of Veterans Affairs

November 15, 2024 TruthUSA

Collins, a representative from Georgia, lost in the 2020 Senate race to Raphael Warnock.

President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Doug Collins, a lawyer, veteran, and former congressman, to head the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

“We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need. Thank you, Doug, for your willingness to serve our Country in this very important role!” Trump said in a statement regarding the appointment.

Collins served in Iraq during the Iraq War.

“Honored to accept [Trump’s] nomination as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Our heroes deserve the best care and support,” Collins wrote on social media platform X after the announcement.

“We’ll fight tirelessly to streamline and cut regulations in the VA, root out corruption, and ensure every veteran receives the benefits they’ve earned.”

In the 2020 Senate race, Collins unsuccessfully competed against Democrat Raphael Warnock and another Republican, Kelly Loeffler, to fill the seat vacated by Johnny Isakson, who resigned in 2019 due to health issues. Loeffler was defeated by Warnock in the second round.

Collins decided not to run for U.S. Senate or governor in the state of Georgia in 2021, given his opposition to the state’s Republican governor, Brian Kemp. Trump and his supporters disapproved of Kemp’s decision to certify Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results without further investigation.

“I do plan on staying involved in shaping our conservative message to help Republicans win back the House and the Senate and help more strong conservative candidates get elected here in Georgia,” Collins wrote on X in 2021 after declining to pursue higher office.

Collins represented Georgia’s ninth district in the House of Representatives from 2013 to 2021. He was a member of the House Judiciary Committee and served as vice chair of the House Republican Committee.

A U.S. Air Force Reserve chaplain, the Gainesville, Georgia, native also served in Georgia’s House of Representatives. He is married to Lisa and has three children: sons Copelan and Cameron, and daughter Jordan.

Collins is also the chair of the Georgia chapter of the America First Policy Institute. Linda McMahon, the chair of the institute’s board, is a key figure in the presidential transition.

The former congressman has been a staunch defender of Trump throughout his successes and challenges.

During the first impeachment inquiry into Trump in 2019, Collins objected to the legal scholars who had been summoned to testify before the judiciary committee, saying they included “zero fact witnesses.”

Shortly after the news of Collins’s appointment broke, it triggered reactions online.

Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.) described it as a “great pick.”

“As a disabled veteran, I am super excited about this nomination. [Collins] will work tirelessly to make the VA something all Veterans can be proud of,” Pastor Teddy W. Sorrels, Jr. wrote on X.

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