Doug Collins
Announced as Trump’s Nominee for Secretary of Veterans Affairs
President-elect Donald Trump has nominated former Republican Congressman Doug Collins from Georgia to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Collins served in Congress from 2013 to 2021 and in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2007 to 2013. Although Collins served in the U.S. Navy as a chaplain and serves in the Air Force Reserve, he was not on the House Veterans Affairs Committee during his tenure in Washington, and does not appear to have much experience with veterans policy. His nomination follows a history of political loyalty to Trump, including defending the former president during his impeachment. After leaving the House for an unsuccessful Senate run, Collins joined Trump’s legal team.
Collins has said that he intends to cut the agency’s regulations, a move that experts caution could disrupt critical services for veterans. Collins’ nomination also aligns with Trump’s ongoing efforts to revisit policies on privatization and employee firings at the VA, which have drawn criticism from veteran advocacy groups in the past. Observers have expressed concern that his lack of direct experience and focus on deregulation could exacerbate problems at the VA.
Collins is the Georgia Chair of America First Policy Institute (AFPI), a MAGA think tank populated with many former high-ranking Trump administration officials. The organization was founded in 2021 by of Linda McMahon (Trump’s pick for Education Secretary), Brooke Rollins (Trump’s pick for Secretary of Agriculture), and oil and gas billionaire Tim Dunn to, per NYT, “lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration”
Collins is also Senior Advisor at the Fair Election Fund, a dark money group that claims to be working to “stop those in power from undermining the integrity of our elections and restore trust.” As reported in the American Prospect, the organization “bought paid ads to assist third-party candidates Cornel West and Jill Stein, while hyping up alleged donor fraud in the Harris-Walz campaign.” Per Mother Jones, the Fund also sent “‘somewhat threatening’ messages sent to ActBlue users are part of a campaign of baseless allegations against the fundraising platform.”
WHAT DOES PROJECT 2025 SAY ABOUT VETERANS?
– Reduce healthcare options for veterans: Project 2025 calls for reducing Medicaid funding to states and giving states the power to deny coverage of particular services, including those used by veterans. Many veterans under 65 rely on Medicaid.
– Cut veteran disability benefits: Project 2025 calls for reassessing and likely lowering the number of health conditions that qualify for disability benefits, meaning some veterans may lose their benefits if they have health challenges that no longer qualify for help.
– Allow scammers to more easily target veterans: Project 2025 calls for abolishing the consumer protections that shield veterans from financial scams and fraud. Veterans are top targets for claim sharks, identity theft, loan scams, and investment fraud.
– Make veteran homelessness worse: Project 2025 calls for cutting “Housing First” policies that have helped thousands of homeless veterans get housing, drug treatment and mental healthcare.
– Fire thousands of veteran civil servants: Project 2025 calls for the President to be able to fire thousands of federal workers who have served across administrations of both political parties.** **Veterans make up ~30% of the federal workforce, so mass firings of federal workers would mean firing many veterans, including: VA healthcare staff, CBP officers, national park service rangers, and DOD civilian employees.