Senate lawmakers this week voted to confirm the first ever post-9/11 veteran, former Georgia Representative Doug Collins, as the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Collins tallied the second widest number of bipartisan votes of any President Donald J. Trump nominee thus far with 77-23 in his favor. Only Marco Rubio’s 99-0 confirmation as Secretary of State was more decisive to this point.

The 58-year-old Collins served in Congress from 2013 to 2021 after service in both the Navy and Air Force Reserve as a Chaplain. He deployed to Iraq as a member of the 94th Airlift Wing. In his confirmation hearing on January 21, Collin called attention to his firsthand understanding of the issues many veterans face because of his own service. He mentioned having spent nights next to a toxic burn pit with emanating smoke.

Collins is tasked with leading a cabinet department with a budget of more than $350 billion and approximately 450,000 employees that distributes benefits and health care services to more than 9 million veterans nationwide. There are some 1,300 health care facilities across the United States for which he will be responsible.

The Hill newspaper offers additional details about the final confirmation vote and the issues that came into play during the new Secretary’s month-long confirmation process.