Doug Collins tells Senate committee he will put veterans first if confirmed as VA secretary

Throughout the nomination hearing, Collins repeatedly said he would prioritize the needs of veterans even as he tries to solve long-standing issues at the Department of Veterans Affairs and works to make it more efficient. He acknowledged that he will face a growing case backlog, a need to modernize record-keeping systems and the likelihood of pressure to reduce department spending.

Collins said he would work with Congress to tackle these issues and would not support any changes that would limit access to VA programs.

“We’re not always going to agree, but I guarantee you I’ll always listen,” Collins told the committee members. “I’ll always take this job very seriously to make sure that at the end of the day our veterans are taken care of.”

The toughest questioning Collins faced came from Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, who was among the Democrats who expressed concerns about access to abortion under President Donald Trump.

Hirono said the Biden administration passed a rule allowing the VA to perform abortions on patients in the case of rape, incest or when the health of the mother is at risk. She asked Collins to commit to keeping the policy in place.

He did not. Instead, he noted that a 1992 law prohibited the VA from performing abortions and said he wanted to study the issue.

“We are going to look and make sure the law is being followed,” he said.

Collins’ wife and children accompanied him to the hearing, and he said his father was watching from home. After the meeting concluded, he shook hands with members of the committee and members of the audience who said they represented veterans’ groups or other stakeholders and wanted to introduce themselves.

The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee scheduled a Thursday morning meeting, where a vote on advancing Collins’ nomination is likely.