President-elect Donald Trump tapped a longtime ally for his cabinet Thursday, nominating former congressman Doug Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs.
A Navy veteran and Air Force Reserve chaplain, Collins, 58, represented rural northern Georgia for eight years before retiring from Congress following an unsuccessful 2020 campaign for the US Senate. He also aided in Trump’s efforts to challenge the 2020 election results in the Peach State.
“We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform,” Trump, 78, said in a statement, “and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need.”
Collins sat on the House Veterans Affairs Committee and rose to the rank of Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference during his tenure in the lower chamber.
An ardent supporter of Trump, Collins was among the eight House Republicans who served on the defense team during Trump’s first Senate impeachment trial, for asking Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate the Biden family’s business interests there in exchange for military aid.
Collins had vied for the Senate seat that opened up due to the retirement of Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), but his bid was scrambled after Republican Gov. Brian Kemp appointed businesswoman Kelly Loeffler to serve in an interim capacity ahead of the special election.
Ultimately, Loeffler edged out Collins to advance to a runoff against Democrat Raphael Warnock, which Loeffler narrowly lost in January 2021.
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Prior to Collins leaving Congress, the the 45th president claimed that he had eyed the Georgian for the post of director of national intelligence, but the then-lawmaker publicly turned him down.
“Honored to accept @realDonaldTrump[‘s] nomination as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Our heroes deserve the best care and support,” Collins responded on X Thursday evening. “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.
“Together, we’ll make the VA work for those who fought for us. Time to deliver for our veterans and give them the world class care they deserve.”
Collins has been vocally critical of the Department of Veterans Affairs in the past. The department has more than 370,000 health care employees on staff and is tasked with providing a range of services to veterans.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.