Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health, hosted a roundtable to hear from local veterans about the impacts they’re experiencing related to workforce cuts in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
“The Trump Administration’s plan to cut over 80,000 employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs, in addition to the 2,400 VA employees who have already been terminated, is an alarming move that threatens the health and well-being of our nation’s veterans. These firings are a clear indication that this administration is not prioritizing the needs of the men and women who have bravely served our nation in uniform and is actively undermining the quality of care they receive,” said Congresswoman Brownley. “Today’s roundtable allowed me to hear firsthand from veterans and employees at the VA about the devastating impact of these cuts on their care and livelihoods.
“With the VA already facing staffing shortages, terminating additional VA employees will inevitably worsen delays for healthcare and benefits and make it even harder for veterans to access the care they deserve. The loss of essential staff – from medical professionals to support workers – will disrupt services, increase wait times, and place even more strain on an already overwhelmed system. These terminations directly undermine the VA’s solemn mission to deliver the highest-quality care to those who have bravely served our nation in uniform.
“I am extremely concerned about the lack of transparency surrounding these cuts,” continued Congresswoman Brownley. “The Trump Administration has failed to provide Congress with the basic information needed to understand the reasoning behind these cuts and their long-term consequences. It is unacceptable that we remain in the dark about how these decisions will affect the health, benefits, and care of our nation’s veterans.
“Cutting resources at the VA, including staff, means cutting the care and services veterans rely on every day. These cuts aren’t just numbers on a budget sheet – they mean longer wait times for appointments, fewer doctors and nurses to provide care, and more veterans falling through the cracks. After serving our country, we shouldn’t have to fight for the healthcare and benefits we’ve earned,” said Richard Camacho, Co-Founder of the Vietnam Veterans of Ventura County.
“Our commitment to our veterans should never be used as a bargaining chip to advance political agendas. Supporting the men and women who have served our nation must transcend partisan ideology because supporting veterans is always the right thing to do. We must do everything in our power to serve them as well as they have served us,” added Brownley.
###
Issues: 119th Congress, Healthcare, Veterans' Affairs