WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate’s Veterans Affairs Committee voted overwhelmingly to make Doug Collins the next secretary of Veterans Affairs. The vote moves the former Georgia congressman toward a confirmation vote on the Senate floor, which could occur in a matter of days.
Both the Republican chair of the Veterans Affairs Committee and its top-ranking Democrat spoke in favor of Collins ahead of Thursday’s vote. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said he was impressed by Collins’ answers during a hearing when Collins pledged to work in a bipartisan fashion to improve Department of Veterans Affairs facilities and expand mental health programs.
Veterans in Georgia have complained of long wait times and inadequate services in facilities across the state, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reported on the long processing time for critical health records. The department has pledged to spend billions of dollars to renovate or replace aging buildings.
“Hopefully, he will be the kind of advocate that we really are going to need in this era when the challenges will be greater than ever before fiscally, and the pressure to scale back, to cut costs, to pursue harmful policies that may negatively affect our veterans will also be greater,” Blumenthal said.
Chairman Jerry Moran, R-Kan., echoed concerns raised by Blumenthal about the hiring freeze across the federal government implemented by President Donald Trump and the effect it could have on the VA. Staffing shortages over the years have affected the level of care provided to patients.
Moran said those concerns make it all the more crucial that the Senate move quickly to have Collins installed.
“It would be useful to have Secretary Collins confirmed and in a position to advocate for his department and for the veterans that department serves,” Moran said. “He testified that no one on the veteran side is going to miss their health care provider because of any new hiring freeze.”
Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, voted no on moving Collins’ nomination to the floor, citing his refusal to commit to keeping a rule from the Biden administration allowing the VA to perform abortions in cases of rape, incest or when the life of the mother is at risk. She also said she was concerned Collins would support the privatization of VA care.
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