Doug Collins Confirmed To Lead Department Of Veterans Affairs

Doug Collins, U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee to be the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, is sworn in during his Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee confirmation hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on January 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. Collins, a former U.S. Representative and veteran of the Iraq War, has strong bipartisan support and is not expected to face a difficult confirmation. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
Doug Collins, U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, is sworn in during his Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee confirmation hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on January 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

OAN Staff Abril Elfi
12:42 PM – Tuesday, February 4, 2025

The Senate has confirmed GOP Representative Doug Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs.

On Tuesday, Collins was confirmed following a 77-to-23 vote — one of the widest bipartisan votes of any Trump Cabinet nominee so far.

Collins served in Congress from 2013 to 2021. 

Last month, he also passed through the Veterans’ Affairs Committee on a wide bipartisan vote, with only Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) voting against him.

When accepting his nomination last November, Collins 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 will now lead an agency plagued by previous budget cuts, millions paid to unqualified executives, and complaints from a large majority of veterans regarding excessive wait times for care, which occurred under the Biden administration.

It will also be his first time running an agency as large as the Department of Veterans Affairs. It has around 400,000 employees and 1,300 health facilities.

“I do not come into this with rose-colored glasses. This is a large undertaking that I feel called to be at,” Collins explained. “When a veteran has to call a congressman or senator’s office to get the care they’ve already earned, it’s a mark of failure.”

“I’m gonna take care of the veterans. That means we’re not going to balance budgets on the backs of veterans benefits,” he continued.

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CEO Chris Wright Confirmed To Lead Energy Department

 

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of Energy Chris Wright is sworn in during his Senate Energy and Natural Resources confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on January 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. Wright is a U.S. engineer and entrepreneur serving as the CEO of Liberty Energy, which is the second-largest hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, company in North America. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Energy Chris Wright is sworn in during his Senate Energy and Natural Resources confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on January 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

OAN Staff Abril Elfi
5:35 PM – Monday, February 3, 2025

The Senate has confirmed Chris Wright, the CEO of Liberty Energy, to lead the Energy Department. 

On Monday, Wright was confirmed following a 59-38 vote — making him the new energy secretary.

Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) as well as Independent Senator Angus King (I-Maine) voted with Republicans to confirm him.

“He’s a scientist who has invested his life around energy. He is indeed an unrestrained enthusiast for fossil fuels in almost every regard, but he studied nuclear,” Hickenlooper said during Wright’s confirmation hearing. “His first few years of working were in solar. He has experience in wind.”

Wright is set to run a department that oversees energy research and loans, as well as the nation’s nuclear weapons arsenal.

Wright’s supporters cheered his confirmation, with Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah), who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, expressing that his leadership will support America’s future. 

“I am confident that we can reverse the irresponsible policies of the Biden administration and prioritize affordable and reliable energy. Under his leadership, the DOE will once again support the American worker, the American family, and the American future,” said Lee.

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John Ratcliffe Confirmed As CIA Director

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 15: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for CIA Director John Ratcliffe arrives for a Senate Intelligence confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on January 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. Ratcliffe, a former conservative congressman from Texas, served as Director of National Intelligence during Trump's first term. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for CIA Director John Ratcliffe arrives for a Senate Intelligence confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on January 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. Ratcliffe, a former conservative congressman from Texas, served as Director of National Intelligence during Trump’s first term. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

OAN Staff Sophia Flores
12:10 PM – Thursday, January 23, 2025

John Ratcliffe has officially been confirmed by the Senate as the new director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

On Thursday, the Senate confirmed Ratcliffe in a 74-25 vote.

Prior to becoming the incoming director of the CIA, Ratcliffe was a former congressman from Texas.

During the last four months of Trump’s first term, he also served as the director of National Intelligence. He was confirmed to that role in a narrow vote in the Senate of 49-to-44.

His previous role is now being sought by Democrat-turned-Republican Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard.

John Ratcliffe is the second individual to be confirmed by the Senate since President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Prior to his confirmation, Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) was confirmed and sworn in as Secretary of State.

This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.  

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