VA Secretary Doug Collins has lost the trust of the White House and Republicans due to his handling of a veterans health bill. The bill, which aims to expand benefits for tens of thousands of veterans, was pulled from the House floor in July after Collins’ team at the VA was excluded from meetings on Capitol Hill.

Background

Collins, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, has been criticized for his lackluster engagement on issues like the veterans health bill. His relationship with congressional Republicans has deteriorated, with some lawmakers expressing frustration over his subtle efforts to work against the bill.

The VA has denied that Collins worked against the bill’s passage, with a spokesperson stating that the administration and Collins support the bill. However, sources familiar with the situation say that Collins’ actions have led to widespread speculation over how much longer he’ll remain in the job.

Consequences

The fallout from Collins’ handling of the bill has led to a breakdown in trust between the VA secretary and the White House, as well as congressional Republicans. The bill’s passage is considered key to the midterms, and its failure has been seen as a setback for the administration.

Other veterans’ advocacy groups, such as The American Legion and Concerned Veterans for America, support the bill, citing its potential to expand benefits for many veterans. However, Democrats and some veterans service organizations, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, oppose the bill, arguing that it would take away benefits from some veterans to pay for others.

Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.