WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) joined her Senate colleagues in a letter opposing the Trump Administration’s plan to cut more than 80,000 employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs this year. They demanded that the VA reverse course, stressing the harmful impact it will have on veterans’ earned care and benefits, which have been dramatically expanded since 2019 thanks to laws passed with bipartisan support such as the PACT Act.
“We write today regarding a memo issued by your Chief of Staff on March 4, and later proudly announced by you via Twitter, detailing a plan to reduce the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) workforce to 2019 levels,” wrote the Senators. “Over the past five years, there have been monumental bipartisan expansions and improvements to veterans’ healthcare and benefits. Your proposal puts all of them at risk. And we believe it is blatantly dishonest to claim veterans’ healthcare and benefits will not be impacted by the termination of up to 83,000 employees, including 20,000 veterans.”
“As we continue to first learn of these disastrous ideas from VA employees and veterans, we will continue to speak out and fight on behalf of those men and women unjustly and immorally harmed by your actions. We are not deterred or fooled by your political theatrics that seek to defend your actions with half-truths and vague, empty promises – and neither are veterans,” they continued. “We will make sure the public knows the truth – that cutting back to 2019 staffing levels means firing over 18,000 nurses, ten percent of the VA police force, nearly 10,000 schedulers, and more than thirty percent of the Veterans Benefits Administration staff… We urge you to start putting veterans first – to review VA’s own data, listen to your leadership and frontline staff on the ground serving veterans every day, and talk to veterans and their families. When you do, you will come to the one and only legitimate conclusion – that massive, arbitrary staff cuts will not make the Department more efficient nor improve care and benefits for veterans.”
The full letter can be found HERE.
Senator Rosen has been fighting for Nevada’s veterans. Last week, she called on the VA to permanently reverse layoffs of VA employees in Nevada, and helped introduce legislation to reinstate veterans wrongfully fired by President Trump and Elon Musk. Earlier this month, Senator Rosen took to the Senate floor to oppose the actions of the Trump Administration and Elon Musk to mass fire employees working at the VA. Senator Rosen also demanded the VA provide answers regarding mass employee terminations.
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