Collins was one of President Donald Trump’s most vocal defenders as the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee when it investigated Trump during his first administration and voted twice to impeach him. Trump was acquitted in both Senate trials. Collins is a Navy veteran, an Air Force reserve colonel and a chaplain. He’s also a lawyer. At his confirmation hearing Jan. 21, Collins said his top priority will be to deliver veterans access to care and benefits. He also said the department must do more outreach to vulnerable veterans at risk of suicide or homelessness.

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed Doug Collins as secretary of veterans affairs, putting the former congressman and Iraq War veteran at the helm of a department that provides crucial care to America’s veterans. Collins, a former Air Force chaplain, was confirmed on a 77-23 vote, becoming the latest addition to President Donald Trump’s Cabinet. “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,” Trump said in a November statement announcing Collins’ nomination. The Department of Veterans Affairs manages a more than $350 billion budget and oversees nearly 200 medical centers and hospitals nationwide.

Former Georgia Republican Rep. Doug Collins was confirmed Tuesday as President Trump’s Veterans Affairs secretary after receiving near-unanimous support at the committee level. The Senate voted 77-23 to confirm Collins, who had represented Georgia’s rural Ninth Congressional District for nearly a decade before leaving public office following an unsuccessful 2020 campaign to represent the Peach State in the upper chamber. When accepting his nomination last November, he had vowed to “fight tirelessly to streamline and cut regulations in the VA, root out corruption, and ensure every veteran receives the benefits they’ve earned.” Collins, an Air Force Reserve colonel and military chaplain, had also criticized the leadership of the Department of Veterans Affairs in the last administration.