Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins on Thursday defended the Trump administration’s latest layoffs on the division, arguing that cuts haven’t been made to “critical health care” or different advantages.
“We’re not cutting critical health care, we’re not cutting health care benefits. We’re not cutting benefits,” Collins stated Thursday night on NewsNation’s “The Hill.”
“In actual fact, we’re really making it quicker in our VBA [Veterans Benefit Act], our profit aspect, to get your reply faster, we have already instituted we have had some file choices weeks the place we’re really posting increasingly more advantages to claimed and conclusion than we ever have,” he added.
The previous Georgia lawmaker’s response comes after a slew of government orders from President Trump raised considerations that therapy choices for service members, veterans and their households could possibly be impacted.
The secretary additionally denied claims that the VA was reducing a disaster response line after 1,000 probationary staff and roughly 60 range, fairness and inclusion (DEI) staffers have been let go, as ordered by Trump’s Workplace of Personnel Administration (OPM).
“That’s simply mistaken,” Collins told “The Hill” host Blake Burman. “We didn’t minimize any veteran disaster line responders who really choose up the telephone and speak to those that want to speak to a veteran disaster line.”
“They’re making an attempt to make use of that with another issues that have been occurring within the again workplaces that didn’t occur,” he continued. “So simply to your listeners and also you’re watching tonight, belief me once I inform you, we’re doing all the pieces for the veterans, so we’re ensuring we do it effectively.”
Regardless of the feedback, veterans have been amongst these laid off at varied businesses as a part of spending minimize initiatives spearheaded by Trump’s Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE).
Democratic lawmakers have fought most of the adjustments citing a crippling affect for American staff and former troopers.
“It is a center finger to our heroes and the legislation and their lives of service,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ailing.), a veteran, informed reporters throughout a Wednesday press name.
The Illinois Democrat stated she spoke with two disaster line staff who have been fired. Officers have known as on leaders for extra readability in regard to strikes that restructure the federal workforce.
Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, additionally weighed in.
“There is an almost total lack of transparency and communication here,” he stated Thursday.
