{"id":9685,"date":"2026-08-14T08:04:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T08:04:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=9685"},"modified":"2026-08-14T08:04:57","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T08:04:57","slug":"lawmakers-leave-the-va-secretary-out-of-veterans-bill-discussions-they-dont-trust-him-anymore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=9685","title":{"rendered":"Lawmakers leave the VA secretary out of veterans bill discussions: \u2018They don\u2019t trust him anymore\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>\n            A month after House Republicans failed to pass a veterans health bill, lawmakers are meeting behind closed doors to try to get the legislation back on track. But there\u2019s one key person they haven\u2019t invited to the table: Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins.\n    <\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=9675\">Todd Blanche makes plea for unity at Justice Department<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n            Collins and his team at the VA have been excluded from recent meetings on Capitol Hill because some senior congressional Republicans and Trump officials blamed him when the planned House vote was abruptly abandoned in July, according to multiple sources who were involved in crafting the legislation.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cHis relationship with the Hill directly is garbage at this point,\u201d\u202fsaid one person familiar with the dynamics surrounding Collins.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cThey don\u2019t trust him anymore,\u201d another source familiar with the situation said.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The episode underscores how Collins\u2019 standing in the administration has steadily deteriorated over the past several months. A longtime ally of President Donald Trump who previously served in the House before joining Trump\u2019s Cabinet, Collins has confounded those around him with his lackluster engagement on issues like the veterans health bill, spurring widespread speculation over how much longer he\u2019ll remain in the job.\n    <\/p>\n<div>\n<header>\n<span>\n      Related article\n    <\/span>\n<\/header>\n<section>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"20260623-VA-mental-health-FINAL.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-9681\" height=\"144\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dc3693329c5dcf516f298539f4845c9a.jpg\" width=\"256\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<figcaption>Photo Illustration by Jason Lancaster\/CNN\/Getty Images<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\n<span>Data shows some veterans wait months to see a therapist for the first time. The VA secretary has his own numbers<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<div>10  min read<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            Trump is unlikely to fire Collins, at least for now, amid efforts in the White House to minimize upheaval ahead of November\u2019s midterm elections. But Trump officials have increasingly scrutinized Collins\u2019 performance, including tracking his travel and examining the extent of his involvement in key departmental priorities, said the person familiar with the dynamics. Collins\u2019 receding role has prompted speculation he may soon leave the administration of his own accord, the person added.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Resurrecting the legislation, called the \u201cTake Care of America\u2019s Veterans Act,\u201d is also considered key to the midterms. The bill would expand benefits for tens of thousands of veterans \u2013 a key constituency for many Republicans in Congress \u2013 and passage would be viewed as an important legislative win ahead of the November vote.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The VA, in an email to CNN, denied that Collins worked against the bill\u2019s passage. VA press secretary Quinn Slaven said: \u201cThe Trump administration, Secretary Collins and VA , and while we believe it could benefit from some amendments, it contains many priorities of the administration.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Slaven added: \u201cUnder the leadership of President Trump, Secretary Collins is proud to work every day to make VA benefits better, faster and easier to use than ever before.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"People wait to be picked up at the main entrance to the VA Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri, in June 2025.\" class=\"wp-image-9682\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/652b426ee478d969b92c7acdeef3b686.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/652b426ee478d969b92c7acdeef3b686.jpg 768w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/652b426ee478d969b92c7acdeef3b686-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<span>People wait to be picked up at the main entrance to the VA Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri, in June 2025.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<figcaption>Michael Siluk\/Universal Images Group\/Getty Images<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            The White House did not address Collins\u2019 role in GOP efforts to advance the veterans health bill.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            In a statement, spokeswoman Olivia Wales said that the VA secretary \u201cis doing a great job and works tirelessly to deliver for our heroic veterans.\u201d Another White House official downplayed the focus on Collins\u2019 travel, contending that Cabinet officials are encouraged to be on the road to \u201chighlight the administration\u2019s accomplishments.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The White House also forwarded a statement of support from GOP Rep. Jack Bergman, who sits on the House Veterans Affairs Committee and insisted that Collins \u201chas been great to work with\u201d and has \u201ctaken action when we bring him difficult issues involving Veterans.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The veterans health bill would cut billions of dollars in future disability benefits to some veterans suffering from tinnitus and sleep apnea. The money saved from those cuts would pay for another measure that would allow veterans to receive both their retirement benefits and combat injury-related benefits. Veterans are currently allowed to receive one, but not both, of those benefits.\n    <\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=9669\">The Democratic establishment might have avoided disaster \u2014 but it\u2019s still in danger<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n            The bill is also aimed at improving access to private sector care, working to cut down wait times for care and providing benefits for the spouses of deceased veterans, even if they re-marry.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Democrats oppose the bill, along with some veterans service organizations including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, saying they disagree with the idea of taking away some veterans\u2019 benefits to pay for other benefits.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Other veterans\u2019 advocacy groups like The American Legion and Concerned Veterans for America are in favor of the bill, pointing to all the ways they say it would expand benefits for many of the roughly 9 million veterans enrolled with the VA as well as their families.\n    <\/p>\n<h2>\n        Confusion over Collins\n<\/h2>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The US Capitol Dome at sunrise on July 23.\" class=\"wp-image-9683\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3f343058bba7635383f71fd070f54a37.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3f343058bba7635383f71fd070f54a37.jpg 768w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3f343058bba7635383f71fd070f54a37-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<span>The US Capitol Dome at sunrise on July 23.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<figcaption>Kent Nishimura\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            The House adjourned for summer recess not long after the legislation was pulled from the House floor ahead of a scheduled vote. But sources say House Republicans are continuing discussions about the bill \u2013 without input from Collins.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The VA secretary had initially indicated to Republican congressional leadership that he supported the measure, but then started to subtly work against it, according to two sources familiar with the interactions.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            They said he would signal to some lawmakers he wasn\u2019t entirely behind the bill, telling some GOP members he shared their concerns about the legislation. The tension between Collins and the White House and congressional Republicans was first reported by Politico.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Some of what the legislation aims to accomplish had been proposed during the Biden administration, through the rulemaking process. But a VA press secretary told the website Government Executive in June that that proposal \u201cwould need to undergo significant changes\u201d \u2013 further baffling Hill staffers about where Collins stood on the issue.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Confusion over Collins\u2019 stance continued into mid-July, sources say, at which point too many House Republicans started to waver in their support.\u202fWhen the bill was pulled, White House officials and Republican House members and staffers grew angry with Collins, the sources said.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cI\u2019ve never seen them so mad,\u201d one source said of some House Republicans. \u201cTheir anger was off the charts.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Secretary for Veterans Affairs Doug Collins looks on as President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David in Maryland, on July 31.\" class=\"wp-image-9684\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/a1f0a1599f76ead7bf98164779f53c66.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/a1f0a1599f76ead7bf98164779f53c66.jpg 768w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/a1f0a1599f76ead7bf98164779f53c66-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<span>Secretary for Veterans Affairs Doug Collins looks on as President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David in Maryland, on July 31.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<figcaption>Aaron Schwartz\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            Sources say senior Republicans complained to the White House about how Collins and Don Bergin, the VA\u2019s assistant secretary for congressional and legislative affairs, dealt with the bill \u2013 and that those Republicans do not view Collins and Bergin as honest brokers moving forward.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            After Collins\u2019 handling of the legislation that the president and administration have prioritized, one of the sources said: \u201cThey can\u2019t decipher or figure out what\u2019s going on in his mind.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            In the midst of the fallout, Collins praised Trump on Fox Business. \u201cHe is providing the leadership over the country to say \u2018Hey we want to put America first. We want to put our veterans first,\u2019\u201d Collins said.\n    <\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=9663\">Trump\u2019s Iran headaches are mounting<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A month after House Republicans failed to pass a veterans health bill, lawmakers are meeting behind closed doors to try to get the legislation back on track. But there\u2019s one key person they haven\u2019t invited to the table: Veteran Affairs Secretary Doug Collins.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9676,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Lawmakers leave the VA secretary out of veterans bill discussions: \u2018They don\u2019t trust him anymore\u2019 - Relocation Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=9685\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lawmakers leave the VA secretary out of veterans bill discussions: \u2018They don\u2019t trust him anymore\u2019 - Relocation Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A month after House Republicans failed to pass a veterans health bill, lawmakers are meeting behind closed doors to try to get the legislation back on track. 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