WASHINGTON — Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) is speaking out against the Trump Administration’s proposal to terminate an additional 72,000 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employees. Today the Administration officially announced their goal is to reduce VA employment levels to 2019 numbers of roughly 398,000 employees from the current level of approximately 470,000 employees — a nearly 15 percent decrease, while continuing to try to hire for more than 300,000 positions.
“This is a reckless and shortsighted move that will hurt the very veterans it is supposed to help. While the administration is advertising the plan as an effort to streamline operations and cut costs, clearly this approach will leave thousands of veterans without jobs and others without the care and services they deserve,” said Rep. Grijalva. “Veterans have waited long enough for the healthcare, benefits, and services they are owed. And yet, rather than focusing on meaningful improvements to the department, this administration has decided that the best way forward is to gut VA services and cut thousands of jobs. If that was not enough, these cuts will result in the loss of critical personnel and resources that disproportionately impact veterans who rely on the VA for their care. This is not “efficiency” — this is abandonment.”
“Let’s be clear: the job of the federal government is not to eliminate jobs for the sake of short-term political victories. The job of the government is to serve its people — particularly those who have sacrificed for this country. The notion that layoffs and shrinking the workforce will create better service is a blatant distortion of reality,” Grijalva continued. “The promise that this reorganization will not impact veterans’ health care or benefits is simply a deception tactic. These cuts will lead to delays, reduced services, and an overall deterioration of the quality of care.”
“I remain committed to fighting for real solutions that will actually improve the VA and provide veterans with the care they have earned, including fully implementing the PACT Act, which extended vital care to millions of toxic-exposed veterans. Veterans have earned the right to quality care and services. Anything less is a betrayal of their service and sacrifice.”
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