elected president Donald Trump said Thursday that he will nominate former House member Doug Collins of Georgia to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs in his administration.
Collins, one Iraq war veteran He left Congress in 2021 and was a fierce defender of Trump during the 2019 impeachment inquiry.
“Doug is a veteran himself, currently serving our nation as a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command and fought for our country in the Iraq War,” Trump said. statement on Thursday. “We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate to ensure our Active Duty Service members, Veterans and Military Families have the support they need.”
Collins, who has been in the Air Force Reserve since 2002, and He was sent to Iraq in 2008 While at Balad Air Force Base, said he was honored to accept the nomination and pledged to provide the best care to veterans.
“Our heroes deserve the best care and support,” he said He wrote in X. “We will fight tirelessly to simplify and reduce regulations at the VA, root out corruption, and ensure that every veteran receives the benefits they’ve earned.”
The position of the Cabinet of Ministers requires the approval of the Senate.
Collins, 58, was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2012. He served until 2021 after unsuccessfully running for the Senate the previous year.
He now heads his state’s chapter of the America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank with former Trump administration officials. Launched in 2021.
Collins was an outspoken supporter of Trump during his first impeachment poll, in 2019 when he was the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee. The Democratic-led House of Representatives impeached Trump, but the Republican majority in the Senate acquitted him.
Collins after Trump lost the 2020 election It appeared on Fox News and is skeptical of what he calls “irregularities” in Georgia’s results. More recently, he has criticized the federal case against Trump, citing the September 20 indictment brought against him by special counsel Jack Smith. episode of his podcast “The Doug Collins Show.”
Trump has expressed support for Collins in the past upset him As a potential challenger to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp in 2022. Collins ultimately decided against running for governor or seeking a seat in the Senate during the midterm elections.
Trump first faced criticism in 2020 for comments made by The Atlantic in which he disparaged fallen military personnel. “losers” and “suckers”. John Kelly, Trump’s former White House chief of staff, later confirmed The Atlantic’s report.
Kelly told The New York Times in interviews It published last month that Trump “could never embrace why people would serve the country in uniform” and struggled to understand their dedication and sacrifice. Trump’s campaign denied Kelly’s claims.
Trump continues Announces the selection of the Cabinet of Ministers at a fast pace. On Thursday, he named the anti-vaccine activist and former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. health and human services secretary selection.
On Tuesday, he said he would nominate the Fox News anchor and military veteran Pete Hegseth for the secretary of defense.