As the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) plans to cut 15 percent of its workforce, Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., the chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, announced on Tuesday that he plans to introduce legislation to ensure the VA remains “well-staffed.”
The senator announced the coming bill during a Senate VA Committee hearing, saying that personnel changes must be “transparent” and carried out in close coordination with the committee, veterans, and the Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) that represent them.
“I am working on legislation that would require the VA’s workforce planning to follow that model because Congress must play a significant role in strategically shaping VA workforce decisions to achieve the right outcomes for veterans and their families,” Sen. Moran said.
The chairman said he has conveyed this message to VA Secretary Doug Collins, who pledged to testify before the committee about how his plans will “refocus resources to improve delivery of healthcare and benefits to veterans.”
“That includes making certain that the VA remains well-staffed by a quality workforce, and that efforts to right size that workforce are done in a responsible manner and treat the men and women who entered public service to care for veterans, many of whom themselves are veterans, with respect and gratitude,” Sen. Moran explained.
Last week, Collins announced that the VA plans to cut roughly 72,000 employees from its rolls, or about 15 percent of its workforce. Collins said the cuts will not affect health care or benefits for veterans and their beneficiaries.
Senate VA Committee Ranking Member Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., is also looking to curb the VA workforce cuts through legislation.
The senator introduced the Putting Veterans First Act on Tuesday to protect veterans, military spouses, and VA employees “indiscriminately targeted” in the cuts at the VA and across the Federal government.
“These reckless actions are damaging the economic security and morale of our military and veteran families, the Federal government’s ability to recruit and retain high-quality talent, and our national security,” Sen. Blumenthal said.
“That’s why I am introducing comprehensive legislation to ensure our government reverses course and puts veterans first – not tax cuts for billionaires. Veterans and their families have willingly sacrificed everything for this country, and they deserve a government that treats them with the dignity and respect they deserve,” he said.
The ranking member’s bill would reinstate “with full backpay and benefits” all veterans, military spouses, survivors, veteran caregivers, and members of the Guard and Reserves who worked in the Federal government and all VA employees “who were illegally fired, demoted, or suspended as part of the Trump administration’s mass terminations.”
The bill would also help protect them from future mass terminations by providing additional due process protections.
