VA Sec: employees will SHOW UP TO WORK, my dog tags; Treasury Sec Bessent’s nomination favorably

VA Employees Return to Work

“So look, we’re going to encourage them to come back to work. We’re going to follow the president’s directive in that, and we’re going to make sure that we get people in there because at the end of the day, it’s about veterans.”

Collins’s framework:

• Trump directive to be followed
• VA employees return to office
• Veterans as end purpose
• Accountability required
• In-person work prioritized

The VA context:

• 400,000+ employees
• 171 VA medical centers
• 1,300+ outpatient clinics
• Remote work common under Biden
• Veterans needing services

“My hospital employees, if I was confirming this, they have to show up every day.”

Collins’s framework:

• Hospital employees must show up
• Like any hospital
• Patient care requires presence
• No remote exceptions for direct care

Two Things for Service

“I bring to you today two things that will be, it’s a forefront of my service.”

Collins introducing personal items:

• Symbolic meaning
• Daily reminders
• Mission focus
• Personal connection

Dog Tags

“These are my dog tags, their reminder just like every other veteran who served, they were part of a bigger unit.”

Dog tags:

• Military identification
• Personal markers
• Service symbol
• Veteran identity
• Bigger unit membership

Collins’s framework:

• Every veteran carries dog tags
• Symbol of service
• Personal reminder
• Mission focus
• VA accountability

The Bracelet

“And I also bring this bracelet. It was made for me by a young airman.”

The personal story:

• Young airman made bracelet
• Personal connection
• Field deployment
• Handmade gift
• Enduring memory

Chaplain Service

“She was keeping watch each night, and I’d go by and see her, and we’d talk.”

Collins’s chaplain role:

• Flight line chaplain at Bagram
• Night watch engagement
• Personal counseling
• Spiritual support
• Service member care

Airman’s Gift

“I was a flight line chaplain at Belod, and she had said one night, she said, I’ve got something for you. And she ran back into her guard chat, and she came out with it.”

The moment:

• Airman prepared gift
• Kept in guard shack
• Personal preparation
• Sudden delivery
• Emotional exchange

Reciprocal Gesture

“She said, you’re always bringing us something and listening. She said, I want to give you something.”

The airman’s framework:

• Chaplain always giving
• Service member wanting to give back
• Reciprocal relationship
• Handmade appreciation
• Mutual connection

15 Years Later

“Well, what she didn’t know is now about 15 years later, if confirmed by this body, this bracelet will be sitting in the secretary of the VA’s office, reminding me every day of the men and women that we serve.”

Collins’s framework:

• 15 years since gift
• Now VA Secretary nominee
• Daily reminder
• Men and women served
• Personal accountability

The symbolism:

• Individual service member
• Represents all veterans
• Personal connection
• Daily motivation
• Mission focus

Bessent Confirmation Vote

The video then shifted to Bessent’s confirmation vote.

“I move that the committee favorably report the nomination of the honorable Scott Besant of South Carolina to be Treasury Secretary. Is there a second? I second.”

The Senate Finance Committee procedure:

• Motion to favorably report
• Second required
• Roll call vote
• Committee recommendation
• Floor vote follows

Roll Call

The committee vote by member:

• Grassley: aye
• Cornyn: aye
• Thune: aye
• Scott: aye
• Cassidy: aye
• Langford: aye
• Daines: aye
• Young: aye
• Barrasso: aye
• Johnson: aye
• Tillis: aye
• Blackburn: aye
• Marshall: aye
• Wyden: no
• Cantwell: no
• Bennett: no
• Warner: aye (Democratic crossover)
• Whitehouse: no
• Hassen: aye (Democratic crossover)
• Cortes Mastow: no
• Warren: no
• Sanders: no
• Smith: no
• Lujan: no
• Warnock: no
• Welch: no
• Chairman: aye

Final Tally

“Mr. Chairman, the final tell is 16 ayes, 11 nays.”

Bessent’s committee vote:

• 16 ayes
• 11 nays
• Majority favorable
• Two Democratic defections (Warner, Hassen)
• Nomination reported

The committee vote moves Bessent to full Senate consideration.

Bessent Background

Scott Bessent:

• Hedge fund manager
• Key Square Capital founder
• Soros Fund Management former CIO
• Republican donor
• Tariff supporter
• Trump economic framework aligned

Kevin Cramer Introduction

“I’ve known many, many good people, Republicans and Democrats, who’ve sought a position in the VA.”

Senator Kevin Cramer’s introduction of Collins.

“And every one of them was well-intentioned. And every one of them was certain that they would break through, that they would be the one that would make the difference.”

Cramer’s framework:

• Many previous VA leaders
• All well-intentioned
• All claimed potential
• Most failed to deliver
• VA problems persistent

“That they’d be the one that would take the opportunities for care closer to home and put them on the front page of the website instead of burying them deep so that they never find them.”

The specific critique:

• Community care opportunities
• Burial in website structure
• Veterans unable to find
• Bureaucratic obscurity
• Access problems

Commander-in-Chief Framework

“But we do have now in the Commander-in-Chief and a cabinet that he’s picking people who will put the veteran first, not the bureaucracy.”

Cramer’s framework:

• Trump as Commander-in-Chief
• Cabinet picks people-first
• Veteran priority established
• Bureaucracy deprioritized
• Structural change

Bureaucracy vs Veteran

“The bureaucracy is important. The service provider is important. But the most important person is the veteran. And that’s who Doug Collins will look out for.”

The hierarchy:

1. Veteran (most important)
2. Service provider (important)
3. Bureaucracy (important)

Collins placing veterans first systematically.

Collins’s Friend

“And I’m really, really, really grateful that he’s my friend, that he’s willing to step into this gap.”

Cramer’s personal relationship:

• Long friendship
• Gratitude for service
• Filling critical gap
• Personal trust

“And I’m ready to support him in every way possible.”

Full political support.

“And so I introduce to you Congressman Doug Collins.”

Formal introduction for confirmation.

Doug Collins Background

Doug Collins:

• Georgia Congressman (2013-2023)
• Air Force Reserve chaplain
• Iraq War deployment
• House Judiciary Committee ranking member
• Trump ally

VA Secretary role:

• Veterans healthcare
• Benefits administration
• Memorial affairs
• Educational benefits
• Various other programs

VA Reform Context

Trump’s VA priorities:

• Accountability (fire problematic employees)
• Community care (private sector options)
• Mental health (suicide prevention)
• Wait time reduction
• Benefits processing acceleration

Biden-era VA issues:

• Employee remote work
• Bureaucratic resistance
• Community Care access limitations
• Various scandals
• Veteran complaints

Significance

Collins’s confirmation hearing and Bessent’s committee vote captured:

1. VA framework: Veteran-first approach
2. Personal symbolism: Dog tags and bracelet
3. Bessent confirmation: 16-11 committee vote
4. Return to work: VA employees back to office
5. Chaplain background: Service-focused leadership

Collins’s personal items — dog tags and bracelet — transformed abstract testimony into concrete emotional framework. Senators witnessing Collins’s authentic veteran identity and commitment.

The “15 years later” framework around the bracelet captured sustained mission focus. A symbol given years ago becoming central to nominee’s leadership approach.

Bessent’s 16-11 committee vote with two Democratic crossovers represented relatively strong support despite partisan dynamics. The Treasury nominee moving to full Senate consideration.

The VA-return-to-work framework applied Trump’s federal workforce directive to VA specifically. Veterans deserving in-person service from VA employees.

Key Takeaways

• Collins on VA return to work: “So look, we’re going to encourage them to come back to work. We’re going to follow the president’s directive in that, and we’re going to make sure that we get people in there because at the end of the day, it’s about veterans.”
• Collins on dog tags: “These are my dog tags, their reminder just like every other veteran who served, they were part of a bigger unit.”
• Collins on the bracelet: “If confirmed by this body, this bracelet will be sitting in the secretary of the VA’s office, reminding me every day of the men and women that we serve.”
• Bessent vote: “The final tell is 16 ayes, 11 nays. Thank you. The nomination is reported favorably.”
• Cramer framework: “We do have now in the Commander-in-Chief and a cabinet that he’s picking people who will put the veteran first, not the bureaucracy. The bureaucracy is important. The service provider is important. But the most important person is the veteran.”