President-elect Donald Trump has announced former congressman Doug Collins as his pick to run the Department of Veterans Affairs.

       “We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need,” Trump said in a statement Thursday.

       Collins is an Air Force Reserve chaplain and served in Iraq. As VA secretary, he would take over the running of a major agency responsible for looking after the interests of more than 16 million veterans.

       A Trump ally, Collins represented Georgia in Congress from 2013 to 2021. He mounted an unsuccessful bid for Senate in 2020.

       This is a developing story and will be updated.