Doug Collins tells Senate committee he will make veterans 'mission' if confirmed as VA secretary

Doug Collins, a congressman and the nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, told the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs during his confirmation hearing that he would make the VA his "mission" and prioritize timely access to care and workforce accountability if confirmed.

Collins told the committee he considers leadership "about listening, but it's also about leading," and said the VA must put veterans' needs first. "If I'm confirmed by this body, the VA will be my mission," he said. He also said he would be "a stronger fighter for the employees and the workforce" while holding staff accountable to deliver veteran services.

Why this matters: The secretary of the VA directs benefits, medical care and programs that affect millions of U.S. veterans. Collins highlighted implementation items already in law and areas he said he would press on, including the Mission Act and existing accountability statutes, and said he would continue work on recently passed measures affecting veterans' care.

Collins described his military background and personal experience with issues he said affect veterans. "I'm an Iraq war veteran. I understand burn pits because I slept next to one for many months," he said, linking that service to an emphasis on care for current-generation veterans who faced repeated deployments. Collins said he has spent more than two decades in uniform and identified himself as a colonel who has served at Warner Robins Air Force Base and with U.S. Africa Command.

He cited prior bipartisan legislation he worked on as evidence of his ability to work across the aisle, naming the First Step Act, the Music Modernization Act and the Defend Trade Secrets Act as examples of laws he supported. He also referenced the Mission Act and the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act as frameworks he would use in the department.

Collins thanked President Trump for the nomination and acknowledged family members in the hearing room. He brought symbolic items to the hearing: his dog tags and a bracelet he said was given to him years earlier by an airman who "was keeping watch each night," and said the bracelet would sit in the office of the VA secretary if he is confirmed.

Collins also said he would seek the committee's help and called for bipartisan cooperation, saying, "we can agree" on timely access to care for veterans. He closed his prepared remarks by yielding back to the chairman.

No committee vote on the nomination appears in the transcript provided; Collins repeatedly framed commitments conditionally — contingent on Senate confirmation.