U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said on Wednesday he was outraged with the Trump administration’s firing of more than 1,000 Veterans Affairs employees.
According to the VA, the terminations, which amount to more than 2% of the VA workforce, were among probationary, non-union employees who had been in their roles for less than a year.
They initially included at least two crisis hotline employees who have since been reinstated.
According to the statement, the terminations will free up $98 million annually for VA beneficiaries.
“At VA, we are focused on saving money so it can be better spent on Veteran care. We thank these employees for their service to the VA. This was a tough decision, but ultimately, it’s the right call to support better the Veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors the department exists to serve,” VA Secretary Doug Collins said.
“To be perfectly clear: these moves will not negatively impact VA health care, benefits or beneficiaries,” he continued.
Blumenthal, the top Democrat on the Senate Veterans Affairs committee, disagreed.
He said the staff reductions, coupled with other federal workforce reductions, were already leading to longer wait times for veterans who need healthcare.
“Services have been eliminated,” Blumenthal said. “Cardiology and mental health care. Mammograms for women are delayed or denied. The Veterans Crisis Line Suicide Prevention has been handicapped and crippled.”
Blumenthal voted to confirm VA Secretary Doug Collins — he said he now regrets that.
“Voting for Secretary Collins was a mistake, and I apologize to the veterans of the country,” Blumenthal said in response to a question from CT Public reporter Chris Polansky. “He has betrayed the promises that he made to me during his confirmation hearing, and maybe my vote was understandable in light of those promises. I took him at his word, but I regret it now because he has not only broken those promises, he's failed to respond to my 20-plus inquiries.”
He invited anyone fired to contact his office but said he couldn't promise they would be reinstated.
