Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins is the designated survivor for President Donald Trump‘s speech to a joint session of Congress. Collins, a former congressman from Georgia, was confirmed to Trump’s Cabinet on Feb.

The Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins was appointed the Designated Survivor during President Donald Trump's State of the Union

A top government official named designated survivor to preserve the presidential line of succession in the event of a catastrophe.

The so-called "designated survivor" is a person in the presidential line of succession that is intentionally not in attendance at major presidential events, most commonly the State of the Union, to ensure someone could assume the office of the president in case of a catastrophic or mass-casualty event.

The 1978 federal law that created the Office of Special Counsel protected the job from firing for anything other than "inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office," but the Trump administration has argued that law is unconstitutional.

A previous plan to deploy the controversial health records system to more VA hospitals in mid-2026 was short-sighted and slow, the new VA secretary said.

Veteran Affairs Secretary Doug Collins served as the designated survivor during President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins has been chosen as the designated survivor for President Trump's 2025 joint address to Congress. Collins, a former congressman, ensures government continuity by staying at a secure location while top officials gather at the Capitol.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins has been chosen as the designated survivor for President Donald Trump's address to the Congress on Tuesday. , US News News - Times Now