Confirmation hearing for Trump's VA secretary pick delayed

The confirmation hearing for President-elect Trump's pick for the next the secretary of Veterans Affairs, former Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), has been delayed by a week until Jan. 21.

Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), the chair of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, said in a statement on Monday that Collins had submitted all of his paperwork in a "timely manner and has been transparent and forthcoming with the committee" but that the FBI has not yet completed its background check on him.

"In accordance with long-standing practice, the committee should have an opportunity to review Congressman Collins' FBI file before the confirmation hearing," Moran said in the statement. "I expect the FBI to complete its review quickly so that the committee can move forward with its role of evaluating the President's nominee."

Trump announced Collins, a chaplain in the Air Force Reserve, as his pick in November, stating he would "be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need."

“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 said at the time.

Collins has been one of Trump's biggest defenders in the House. A lawyer by trade and a member of Congress from 2013 to 2021, Collins has served as legal counsel for Trump, particularly on the MAGA movement's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen in Georgia.

He has served in the Air Force Reserve since 2002 and was deployed to Iraq in 2008 as part of the 94th Air Wing at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Ga.