That said, he appears to be about as good as you could hope for from Trump. He doesn't appear to be an extreme MAGAnut.
https://www.govexec.com/management/2025/01/va-secretary-nominee-rejects-privatization-wants-more-employee-firings/402394/
VA secretary nominee rejects privatization but wants more employee firings
The Veterans Affairs Department’s workforce will have a advocate in its next secretary, President Trump’s pick to lead the agency told lawmakers on Tuesday, though it can also expect a crackdown to hold bad actors accountable.
Former Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., defended VA’s mission and eschewed any effort to privatize the department during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, suggesting the nation’s largest health care network would always exist for veterans. He pledged to continue to utilize and grow private sector options for veterans, however, which has subsumed a growing portion of VA’s budget since the passage of the 2018 Mission Act in Trump’s first term.
“I believe you can have both, you can have a strong VA as it currently exists and you can have the community care aspect,” Collins said, referring to the program by which VA pays for veterans to receive private care.
Collins added he was “still examining” its exact impact on VA, which drew criticisms from Democrats on committee. Collins sought to assuage those concerns by saying Trump was taking a “prudent step” to assess the department’s current resources and needs going forward rather than to make any long-lasting cuts. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the panel, said that response still raised questions. “This is going to be a first test of your leadership, whether you fight for an exemption in the hiring freeze for the non-veterans benefits employees who are needed to care for veterans at medical facilities,” Blumenthal said.
= new reply since forum marked as read