ATLANTA — New Veterans Administration Secretary Doug Collins said recent layoffs within the agency will only affect the bureaucracy, not patient care.
Channel 2’s Richard Elliot was the only Atlanta TV reporter to speak with Collins on Friday. He said his transition from Georgia Congressman to VA Secretary has been full of surprises, both good and bad.
“To the VA Medical Center employees down there, we need to raise our game,” Collins said.
He insisted the cuts within the VA were necessary to make the department more efficient.
“It’s never easy when you’re having to make changes in organizations and following the Trump administration guidance and the OBM guidance. We’re looking at areas where we can find efficiency,” Collins said.
When Elliot asked him if any of the cuts would affect patient care, he insisted they would not. He said he worked to make sure they didn’t include direct patient care.
RELATED STORIES:
- ‘We’ve been betrayed:’ Local veterans angry after being laid off by Trump administration
- U.S. Senate confirms former GA Rep. Doug Collins as VA Secretary
- ‘VA will be my mission:’ Former Georgia U.S. Rep. Doug Collins testifies at confirmation hearing
“We did a lot of work upfront to protect and make sure that our core work, our doctors and nurses, our forward-facing folks who work with our veterans every day were protected,” Collins said.
But the sudden cuts did catch many longtime employees off guard.
Georgia’s Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff criticized them.
“Indiscriminate mass layoffs at the VA could seriously jeopardize veterans’ health care and benefits,” he said.
Collins insists he’s looking to hire more full-time physicians and to solve the issues that have long plagued the Atlanta VA - issues Channell 2 has reported on for years, including delays scheduling appointments, calls to the VA unanswered, bug infestations and staffing shortages.
“The people are watching. The veterans are watching, and they deserve the best. And if you support that then this secretary is behind you,” Collins said.
Collins promised he would be making visits to VA centers around the country, especially here in Atlanta. As a former congressman for Georgia, he said he’s well aware of the past issues here.
©2025 Cox Media Group
