Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

VA Secretary Doug Collins Faces Bipartisan Criticism at Senate VA Committee Hearing

VA Secretary Doug Collins Faces Bipartisan Criticism at Senate VA Committee Hearing

On May 6, 2025, the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee receives testimony from VA Secretary Collins on the future of the VA Department.

Bridget Craig/Medill News Service

WASHINGTON – Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins faced bipartisan criticism on May 6 over plans to cut thousands of jobs across the department as part of the Trump administration’s major effort to “rightsize” the federal workforce. Republicans and Democrats alike described the sweeping layoffs and lack of transparency as a bureaucracy failing to deliver for its veterans.

“The department is at a critical juncture, and I want to hear from you that the changes underway at VA are backed by data,” said Chairman Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. And that veterans’ voices are included within the conversation for change, Moran added.


Collins defended his agenda, pointing to long wait times and backed up disability claims that worsened during the Biden administration, despite an increase of more than 52,000 full-time employees. The VA system has been hindered for a long time by “bureaucracy that is out of control and bureaucracy that is not tame,” and is not serving its veterans, said Collins.

This hearing gave senators from both parties the opportunity to be critical of the Trump administration’s plans to overhaul the VA, criticizing the lack of a formal framework for how the changes would unfold or concrete data to justify how minimizing the department as a whole would provide better care for veterans overall.

“Year after year, the calls for VA reform come from every corner,” Collins said. “We have finally embarked on a historic effort to reform the VA.”

He highlighted his focus on cutting inefficiencies and eliminating non-essential roles while protecting frontline medical staff, and despite concerns of widespread layoffs, Collins claimed that fewer than 0.5% of employees had been affected so far.

However, committee members pressed Collins on the department’s repeated announcements since January, signaling major workforce reductions. Collins said he had no specific data to explain how such downsizing would benefit the veterans the department is mandated to serve.

“It’s very clear that our secretary has not come with much in the way of numbers. And I really don’t know how he's going to go about … getting to the 2019 figures for cutting employees, and you can't tell us about the categories of employees,” said Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii).

Hirono then requested the secretary come back at a later date with data to explain the details of the cuts. Collins made no commitment to return.

Lawmakers expressed frustration over the lack of framework surrounding the VA’s workforce strategy, which the administration has said could eliminate up to 80,000 positions. The committee members suggested the 80,000 job cut goal seemed to be the start of a broader model that the VA will implement rather than just a fixed goal.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) described an encounter he had with veterans on his way to the hearing. “I ran into some folks at the elevator that are concerned about the proposed 83,000 cuts in the VA, and they asked me specifically would I publicly oppose those cuts. I said ‘I can’t,’” he said, because the Trump administration has failed to provide a blueprint for the major changes.

Still, Tillis voiced his reservations on the cuts, given the lack of a formal plan for them.

“I don’t believe cuts are real unless there’s a recession package sent to the U.S. Congress so we codify those cuts. And so, my commitment to the folks I was talking to, when I see that recessions package, if it’s at odds with what I consider to be in the best interest of the VA, then I may vote against it,” Tillis added.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) raised concerns about inefficiency, asking whether the problem was less about the number of employees and more about how the VA system operates.

“I often hear a lot about the large amounts of paperwork and administrative burden VA doctors are forced to navigate when seeing patients. This leads to VA doctors seeing less patients per day,” Tuberville said. “Where do you see the opportunity to reduce all these administrative processes?” he asked.

Collins answered, “This has nothing to do with employees and has nothing to do with money gauges, but simply, are we doing it most efficiently in the process?”

Collins repeatedly said the administration would cut positions in diversity, equity, and inclusion and interior designers for VA facilities. Yet, Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) said she was told by veterans in her district that the Trump administration fired staff who operated a suicide hotline for veterans.

“So, how about people fired and then rehired from the veteran suicide hotline?” Slotkin asked.

On the other hand, Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) questioned how it would be possible to fire so many employees, 80,000, without impacting the VA’s core functions. She said about 25% of VA employees are veterans themselves.

“It's also worth noting that the Veterans Health Administration accounts for nearly 90% of all VA employees, so if you're firing evenly across the VA, you'll end up firing roughly 70,000 VHA employees,” Hassan calculated. “So, Secretary Collins, is your goal to fire thousands of VA employees who work to support and provide health care to our veterans?”

Senators from both parties questioned Collins’ rationale for pursuing significant staffing cuts while the department simultaneously faces rising demand for services. Multiple committee members warned that Collins’ plans to minimize the VA will make services worse over time. This is because current military recruiting projections are up, leading to a continued cycle of the VA being under-resourced and veterans being underserved.

“I just left a meeting with our rural hospitals and they are willing to be a provider,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said. “It is so much more convenient for our veterans to get the healthcare they have earned, and to get it in their communities, when they want it, where they want it, at their convenience. I think that community care is something that should be moved on today,” she stated.

Blackburn questioned the secretary on how many employees have been terminated at this point. Collins responded, stating that about 1,000 positions had been eliminated to date but that more cuts were anticipated.

“Your goal is to fire 15% of the total workforce,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said. “You're going to lose quality. You're going to lose time. There's no way around it. Now, I welcome your commitment that the savings you just told Senator Banks will go into care for our veterans, but that's not what you said on April 17. You said ‘That'll be up to the president.’”

Despite the mounting criticism by the committee members and the lack of concrete data presented by the secretary, Collins remained firm in his assertion that the administration’s approach aligns with its promise for veterans. “I think that the budget presented by the president is actually one that fulfills the commitment that we've talked about, making sure our veterans are taken care of,” he said.


Bridget Erin Craig is a graduate student at Northwestern Medill in the Politics, Policy and Foreign Affairs specialization. She graduated with a B.A. from the University of Miami in Political Science, Criminology and Sustainable Development.

Read More

Kids' Healthcare Can't Withstand Medicaid Cuts

The risk to children’s hospitals, which rely heavily on Medicaid funding, is often unrecognized. Children’s health needs greater investment, not less.

Getty Images, FS Productions

Kids' Healthcare Can't Withstand Medicaid Cuts

Last year, my daughter’s elementary school science teacher surprised me with a midday phone call. During a nature center field trip, my eight year old fell off a balance beam and seriously hurt her arm. I picked my daughter up and drove straight to the children’s hospital, where I knew she would get everything she needed. Hours later, we were headed home, injury addressed, pain controlled, appropriate follow-up secured, and her arm in a cast after x-rays revealed fractures across both forearm bones.

That children’s hospital, part of a regional academic medical center, is thirty minutes away from our home. Its proximity assures me that we have access to everything my kids could possibly need medically. Until this year, I took this access for granted. Now, as the structure of the classroom yields to summer’s longer, more freeform days, some of the nation’s most important programs scaffolding kids’ health could collapse under the pressure imposed by proposed legislative budget cuts. As a pediatric doctor and as a parent, slashing Medicaid concerns me the most.

Keep ReadingShow less
An occupational therapist sits with a young boy at a table as they work on some of his motor skills.​

The Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council is amplifying the voices of people with IDD and autism, sharing powerful stories of how Medicaid makes their lives in the community possible—and what’s at stake if it's cut.

Getty Images, FatCamera

Federal Medicaid Cuts Will Harm Americans with Disabilities

My brother Todd, a diehard Red Sox fan with a massive sweet tooth, was an incredibly social person. This was especially notable because he did not speak, used a wheelchair, and needed constant support throughout his day due to his cerebral palsy. Growing up with Todd taught me early on that people should get what they need to live meaningful and self-determined lives. Thanks to Medicaid, Todd received personal care assistance, in-home therapies, and employment services. These supports enabled him to graduate from his local public high school, work part-time as an adult, and live a full and social life. Those same Medicaid services also allowed our mother, who was a single parent for over three years, to work full-time to provide for her six children.

Unfortunately, those services are now under direct threat. In late May, the House of Representatives passed the Trump administration’s reconciliation bill in a narrow, partisan vote (215-214). The bill is now being debated in the Senate and could be passed and signed into law before the July 4th holiday. Among many other measures, if enacted, the bill would implement the largest cut to Medicaid in its history, totaling over $800 billion. Cuts of this magnitude could strip 10 to 13 million people nationwide of longstanding and essential healthcare services they depend on, threatening their health, independence, and quality of life.

Keep ReadingShow less
U.S. Strikes Iran Nuclear Sites: Trump’s Pivot Amid Middle East Crisis

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine discusses the mission details of a strike on Iran during a news conference at the Pentagon on June 22, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia.

(Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

U.S. Strikes Iran Nuclear Sites: Trump’s Pivot Amid Middle East Crisis

In his televised address to the nation Saturday night regarding the U.S. strikes on Iran, President Donald Trump declared that the attacks targeted “the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number one state sponsor of terror.” He framed the operation as a necessary response to decades of Iranian aggression, citing past attacks on U.S. personnel and Tehran’s support for militant proxies.

While those justifications were likely key drivers, the decision to intervene was also shaped by a complex interplay of political strategy, alliance dynamics, and considerations of personal legacy.

Keep ReadingShow less
The Medical Community Tells Congress That Telehealth Needs Permanent Federal Support
person wearing lavatory gown with green stethoscope on neck using phone while standing

The Medical Community Tells Congress That Telehealth Needs Permanent Federal Support

WASHINGTON–In March 2020, Stephanie Hendrick, a retired teacher in Roanoke, Virginia, contracted COVID-19, a virus that over 110 million people in the U.S. would contract over the next couple of years.

She recovered from the initial illness, but like many, she soon began experiencing long COVID symptoms. In the early months of the pandemic, hospitals and medical centers prioritized care for individuals with active COVID-19 infections, and pandemic restrictions limited travel and in-person treatment for other medical conditions. Hendrick’s options for care for long COVID were limited.

Keep ReadingShow less