Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins told Newsmax on Tuesday that the "exciting" pace President Donald Trump has set for his administration in the first 100 days of his second term has led to "a lot" of ongoing change at his agency.
"I think it's just the exciting Trump pace that he set on the campaign trail and set as we went through the first 100 days, of making sure that we're putting America first, making sure that our country is doing the things that it needs to, not only short term but long term as well," Collins said on "Wake Up America." And I think that's the takeaway that's going to come from this story long after the 100 days is over, about a president who got to work, stays at work, and actually is able to focus."
Whether Americans "like it or don't like it," the Trump administration is also "probably the most transparent administration," Collins said.
"This is a president who wears out the media in terms of being transparent with what we're doing," he said. "The American people get to see what is happening, and they get to decide how things are going. And right now, I think it is one of those things in which he has delivered on the promises, as we went back to the campaign, and then into the administration, promises made, promises kept."
Since Trump took office on Jan. 20, the Department of Veterans Affairs has "seen a lot of change," Collins said, before acknowledging that the accelerated pace is not "going as fast as we would like to see."
"There's always things you want to do quicker, but there's also things that you need to also take time and make sure you're doing it right," Collins said. "And that's exactly what we're doing here at the VA, is making sure that we're taking out policies. You mentioned the DEI [diversity, equity, inclusion], you mentioned the issues of immigration, but we've also made sure that the flag issue, that we're flying just the American flag and the POW flag and our service flag. We're making sure that unity is coming to the VA under one mission, and that one mission is the veteran. We're a service organization; we're not an employment agency. We're not a government agency that does things for itself."
"We're about taking care of veterans and that is taking hold," he continued. "I'm hearing more and more of our employees talk about putting the veteran first, making sure that the veteran is the center of everything we do.
"We've been able to move and start in consolidation of departments, whereas we were just a massive department. Remember, we're the largest civilian agency in the federal government right now. We're larger than the active-duty army. So, as we make these moves, we're making sure though that two things are very, very true.
"One, no healthcare benefits are being cut and no benefits to disabled and education and home loans are not being cut. Those are the kinds of things that we have promised, and we're making sure that happens."
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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