by Dave Williams | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – President-elect Donald Trump will nominate former U.S. Rep. Doug Collins of Gainesville to head the Department of Veterans Affairs, Trump announced on social media Thursday.
“Doug is a veteran himself, who currently serves our nation as a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command, and fought for our country in the Iraq war,” Trump posted on his Truth Social site. “We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our active duty servicemembers, veterans, and military families to ensure they have the support they need.”
After a stint in the General Assembly, Collins served four terms in Congress from 2013 until 2021 representing Georgia’s 9th Congressional District, which stretches from Gainesville and Athens northeast to the South Carolina border.
As ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, he gained national attention as one of then-President Donald Trump’s most vocal supporters during Trump’s first impeachment inquiry in 2019.
Collins was Trump’s preferred pick for the U.S. Senate following the retirement of the late Sen. Johnny Isakson. But Gov. Brian Kemp instead appointed Kelly Loeffler to fill the vacancy.
Collins ran for Loeffler’s seat in 2020 but failed to make the January runoff. Democrat Raphael Warnock defeated Loeffler in the runoff to win election to the Senate.
Georgia politicians have a long track record of leadership on veterans’ issues. Isakson served as chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
Before that, the late Max Cleland served as administrator of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs during the administration of Jimmy Carter.
Trump’s nomination of Collins will be subject to confirmation by the Senate.
