Doug Collins, the new secretary at the Department of Veterans Affairs, temporarily assumed open leadership posts at two federal watchdog agencies after President Donald Trump fired their leaders in a move criticized by some Democratic lawmakers.

As President Donald Trump’s nominee in January to be the undersecretary for memorial affairs for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Army veteran Sam Brown pledged to “ensure all who have served are honored with the dignity they have earned.”

Republican lawmakers blasted Department of Veterans Affairs officials for mistakes in administering the GI Bill that led to delays in rolling out its digital platform and delivering direct deposits to veterans to help pay for books and student housing.

The letter urges VA Secretary Collins to instruct Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency to permanently delete any information obtained on veterans’ health services and benefits from the VA and other government agencies.

Employee misconduct, malfunctioning computer systems, confusing policies and program inefficiencies hamper operations at the Department of Veterans Affairs, despite the hard work of most personnel, the VA’s acting inspector general told lawmakers Thursday.

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal urged Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins to exempt VA employees from the federal hiring freeze and to stop tech billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency from accessing VA data systems that contain veterans’ records.

Alexandra Gehrke, 39, and Jeffrey King, 46, admitted to running medical companies from 2022 to 2024 that submitted more than $1.2 billion in false claims to Medicare and insurance programs that cover active-duty service members, disabled veterans and their families.

Political appointees, senior executives and non-union employees living within 50 miles of their workplaces are ordered to end remote work arrangements and return to the office by Feb. 24.

Both will be replaced with new leaders, the VA said, describing their terminations as routine for an incoming administration and unrelated to an effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to end diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the federal government.

The Veterans Health Care Freedom Act would make it easier for veterans to obtain medical services from doctors in private practice by removing eligibility requirements for non-VA care. About 40% of veterans care is now provided outside the VA and demand is rising every year.