U.S. Sens. Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto, both D-Nevada, and their Democratic colleagues sent a letter to Veteran Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, asking him not to lay off 83,000 employees.
Twenty-three other Democrats in the Senate, including California’s U.S. Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, joined Rosen and Cortez Masto in signing the letter.
Earlier in March, news emerged that the VA was attempting to reduce its staff to what it was in 2019.
However, the Democratic senators said in their letter laying off employees will disrupt the bipartisan improvements made to veterans’ healthcare and benefits over the last five years.
According to the senators, mass layoffs will neither make the VA more efficient nor improve healthcare for veterans. They added that the layoffs would “dishonor” the contract America “made with these veterans when they signed up to risk their lives in service to our nation.”
The senators also said if these layoffs occurred, they would harm veterans.
The letter said the cuts would reverse the progress made in improving outpatient visits, veterans receiving compensation benefits and mental health care treatment.
“Fewer staff to provide outpatient appointments will cause veterans to wait longer for care, and the costs of that care will only increase over time as their medical conditions worsen,” the senators wrote.
“Reductions in mental health care will undoubtedly leave more veterans abandoned as they attempt to overcome the invisible wounds of war,” they added.
The senators said they will continue to speak out on behalf of these people who may lose their jobs.
“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,” the Democrats said.
