Trump taps former Rep. Doug Collins to lead VA
President-elect Donald J. Trump has nominated former Rep. Doug Collins, a Republican from Georgia, as his administration’s Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
“I am pleased to announce my intention to nominate former Georgia Congressman Doug Collins to serve as United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs.” Trump said. “Doug is a veteran himself, currently serving our nation as a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command, and having fought for our country in the Iraq War.
“We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our active duty members, veterans and military families to ensure they get the support they need,” he added. “Thank you, Doug, for your willingness to serve our country in this very important role!”
According to one AP fact sheetCollins, 58, earned a master’s degree in divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He served as a chaplain in the U.S. Navy in the late 1980s and served as a church pastor for more than a decade.
Collins joined the US Air Force Reserve as a chaplain after September 11 and deployed to Balad Air Force Base in Iraq for five months in 2008; he remains a colonel in the reserves and also has a doctorate from John Marshall Law School in Atlanta.
He was first elected to the Georgia State House in 2007, where he served three two-year terms. In 2012, Collins went on to win a seat in the U.S. Congress, representing Northeast Georgia’s conservative 9th Congressional District.
That district is among the most heavily Republican in the country, and the AP notes that “Collins, despite his right-wing views, faced serious primary challenges in 2016 from other Republicans who claimed he was not conservative enough.”
Yet he made a national name for himself as an outspoken defender of President Trump, as a ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, during Robert Mueller’s 2016 investigation into Russian election interference. Him later wrote a book about the Democrats’ first impeachment of Trump in 2019.
Collins ran for the Senate in 2020, but lost in the Georgia primaries. He still has political ambitions for statewide office — and he spoke at many Trump rallies in the Peach State over the past year — but the AP points out that, should he be appointed VA secretary, “it is less likely could be that he will run for election.” office in 2026.”
THE BIG TREND
At VA, Collins would oversee the largest health care system in the U.S. – with approximately 1,380 inpatient and outpatient care facilities employing more than 371,000 physicians and support staff.
The VA has a wide range of innovative and effective healthcare IT initiatives underway at any given time, from telehealth and virtual care to artificial intelligence and automation projects focused on medical device management, radiology and imaging and much more.
Of course, Collins would also take over oversight of the massive modernization of electronic health records, which has been an important and challenging initiative at VA for more than seven years now – since Trump’s first term.
The agency has paused the problem-plagued rollout in 2023. And it has renegotiated its contract with Oracle. The project continues to be closely watched on Capitol Hill and from its own Office of Inspector General. But current plans call for deployment to resume in more locations in 2025.
ON THE RECORD
“Honoured to accept @realDonaldTrump’s nomination as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Our heroes deserve the best care and support,” Collins said. “We will fight tirelessly to streamline and reduce regulations in the VA, root out corruption, and ensure that every veteran receives the benefits he or she has earned. Together we will make the VA work for those who fought for us. for our veterans and give them the world-class care they deserve.”
Mike Miliard is editor-in-chief of Healthcare IT News
Email the writer: mike.miliard@himssmedia.com
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS publication.