President Donald Trump's administration announced that it would cut over 80,000 employees from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“At the end of the day, it’s about getting us back to work, focused on the mission and that mission is the Veteran,” new VA Secretary Doug Collins said last week.
Collins lambasted Democrats on Fox News last week, saying that they were lying about veterans being hurt. He then attacked former President Joe Biden, who gave billions of dollars to veterans.
One veteran commented on X that Collins was "straight up lying" about there not being any claims in the VA system that need to be approved. "From the VAs own website dated the 1st of March it says there are 935,732 pending claims. They sure as hell didn’t cut the number in half. He’s lying."
Eric Katz, senior correspondent GovExec.com, explained that the VA went on a "hiring spree to accommodate millions of vets newly eligible for care."
Then the cuts were announced.
The Associated Press spoke with several veterans, some of whom are concerned it will mean the death of more veterans.
Gregg Bafundo, who served during the first Gulf War, told the AP, "They’re going to put guys like me and my fellow Marines that rely on the VA in the ground."
“You could lose trust among the veteran population over some of these things that have happened and the way that they’ve happened. And we do fear damage to the recruitment and retention of hiring the best and brightest to serve veterans," said Joy Ilem, national legislative director for the nonpartisan group Disabled American Veterans.
The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee posted a photo of a VET Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, with a note on a locked door.
"Due to abrupt and unplanned staff shortages, we are not able to greet you at this time. If you have a scheduled appointment, your counselor will be out to get you at the time of your appointment," it read in part.
"Republicans continue to claim there are 'no real life' impacts to vets’ health care & benefits due to the Trump Administration’s disastrous cuts to VA," the Democrats said.
"In today’s hellscape news, the Trump administration is planning to cut 80,000 jobs from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA is already short-staffed and wait times are abhorrent. Veterans will die because of this move," said influencer @Angry_Staffer.
@Angry_Staffer, an account that was started six years ago to "help expose the corruption of the Trump administration while highlighting the many National Security risks," has garnered hundreds of thousands of followers. The person is no longer a White House staffer, their account explains.
"These cuts won’t just impact those seeking health care. They will create chaos across every aspect of VA—delaying benefits, straining claims processing, and making it nearly impossible for student veterans and schools to get the assistance they need. Veterans will suffer the consequences," said the Democrats on the House Veterans Affairs Committee.
Northern Virginia Congressman Don Beyer (D) said, "For shame."
"With all due respect, ma'am, it's going to kill us," said Al Lipphardt, Commander-in-Chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars told Rep. Kelly Morrison (D-MN) during a Tuesday hearing, Stars and Stripes reported.
The VA has a $350 billion-plus budget and "oversees nearly 200 medical centers and hospitals, many in Republican-led states and districts," the AP described.
