Press Release: Veteran Action Launches Ad Campaign Against VA Secretary Doug Collins

Ads run in Georgia and Washington, D.C., as Collins withholds public support for the Take Care of America's Veterans Act

Veteran Action launches a five-figure digital and over-the-top ad buy in Georgia and Washington, D.C., exposing Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins for withholding support from the Take Care of America's Veterans Act (S. 4744/H.R. 9237), the White House's top legislative priority for veterans. The ads press Collins to back the bill publicly.

The bill carries Veteran Action's top legislative priority, the Veterans' ACCESS Act. The ACCESS Act expands health care access and holds the VA accountable. It will save veterans' lives. Veteran Action issued a Key Vote Alert urging support for the legislation.

The bill protects President Trump's first-term veteran reforms. It builds on the VA MISSION Act of 2018 and mandates its full operational implementation, codifying access standards for VA health care and forcing the department to tell veterans when they qualify for community care. It serves the 9 million veterans who use the VA health care system. Collins is holding up the President's agenda, and he needs to get in line.

Collins has not offered strong public support. The Speaker of the House pulled the bill from the floor after Republican members raised concerns about the legislation and said the VA had done little to answer them. POLITICO reports that a White House official calls it "a self-inflicted loss at the hands of the VA secretary." Collins continues to dodge journalists and the American people asking where he stands on this life-saving legislation.

Veteran Action's ads carry the message to Collins's home state and to Washington. They contrast the President's record with the Secretary's performance and put the charge on screen: WEAK. RISKING VETERAN LIVES.

Military voters back this legislation overwhelmingly. A Veteran Action/Rasmussen Reports survey of 1,516 likely military voters finds 90 percent support giving veterans the choice to use their benefits outside the VA system. Seventy-five percent say support for the Veterans' ACCESS Act makes them more likely to back a candidate. Veteran Action Founder and President Mark Lucas has argued in an opinion piece for Fox News that stalled VA reform threatens veteran lives.

Mark Lucas, Founder and President of Veteran Action, releases the following statement:‍ ‍

"President Trump delivered historic reforms for veterans. This bill protects them. We are burning resources on an insubordinate VA secretary instead of promoting veteran policy victories in key battleground states. Collins needs to get behind this bill publicly and without reservation."

‍Veteran Action is a veterans organization advocating for America First policies that strengthen national security and provide unwavering support for our veterans.