'This Is Performance, This Isn't Policy': Angus King Presses Trump Official On Mass Layoffs At VA

15 hours ago

During a Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs hearing prior to the congressional recess, Sen. Angus King (I-ME) spoke about the Trump Administration's plan to layoff roughly 80,000 employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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Transcript

00:00Senator Key. I was struck when Senator Cassidy mentioned poetry, so I asked

00:08ChattGBT to write us a poem about the firings at the VA. Here's the poem, which

00:16I will provide for the record. In the land where the eagle proudly soared,

00:21where freedom's song was off restored, a shadow crept across the plains as

00:25whispers spoke of recent pains. The halls, once filled with earnest care, now

00:30echoed with a vacant air, for hands that healed and hearts that served found

00:35futures tossed, their paths unnerved. The veterans, with stories deep, their

00:41guardians gone, their solace steep, they wondered if the promises made were

00:45fading like the evening shade. Oh, what of honor, what of trust, when noble

00:51missions turn to dust? Yet in the hearts where courage burns, the spirit of the

00:56warrior yearns, for though the times are harsh and cold, the tales of valor ever

01:00bold remind us, both young and old, that some truths are worth more than gold. So

01:07raise a glass to those who stood in every field through fire and blood, and

01:10may we find in days ahead the wisdom to restore what's fled. Pretty amazing, and I

01:19think it captures what's going on here. By the way, firing 80,000 people will

01:25reduce the VA budget by 1.2%. I think we ought to keep that in mind, because

01:31people think, well, we're cutting the budget, we're saving a lot of money, 1.2%.

01:36This is performance. This isn't policy. And it is 80,000 people. The memo of

01:44March 4th said, our initial objectives are returned to our 2019 end strength.

01:48That's 83,000 people. So I just don't know how anybody with a straight face

01:55could say you're going to cut that many people and still provide the same level

01:59of services. It just doesn't compute. The second piece that I

02:05want to inquire about, and I'll ask you this question, is what about these

02:09contracts? I saw the little video of the Secretary the other day, proudly saying,

02:14we've cut them, we've eliminated 600 contracts, we're going to save all this

02:17money. I want to know what the contracts are. And we've been asking that for a

02:22week, and we're getting no answers. What are those 585 contracts for? Because I

02:31fear that they're for mental health counselors, or radiology technicians, or

02:38maintenance. I mean, those contracts are for something. And it's an insult to

02:44this committee and to the United States Senate that we have no transparency

02:48whatsoever on what these contracts are. So that's a pretty simple ask. Will you

02:53take that question back, Mr. Engelbaum? Senator, it would be my pleasure.

02:57Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of information on the specific contracts

03:01that's handled under any different mechanism, but I will take that for

03:03record and take that back. Well, somebody knows what those, and I don't expect you

03:07to know, but somebody knows what those contracts are because they've made

03:11a decision to cut them, and I think that information should be shared with this

03:14committee. So I just, it's hard for me to understand what what's going on here

03:22except a motivation to show that we're cutting the workforce

03:28for relatively small returns in terms of the overall budget of the agency. And I

03:34think you use the term meat cleaver. The operative term is chainsaw. That's what

03:39that grinning guy is using as a chainsaw instead of a thoughtful process.

03:44So I would like to see, as I think has already been requested, what the plan is

03:51for these 83,000 people. How are you going to approach that? Who's going to do it?

03:55What's the criteria? Because it's hard for me to believe. I understand, and you

04:01said we've grown for sure, but seven new bills have been passed with regard to

04:08veterans benefits since 2019, the biggest being the PACT Act, which require

04:13a lot of people to administer. And so I just want to know how you're going to,

04:19how are you going to resolve those kinds of issues? So I apologize, Mr. Chairman,

04:25for not speaking to these bills, but these people had the good luck to be

04:30here today. Thank you for your testimony, and we look forward to working with you

04:35on these bills. This is a very bipartisan committee. The PACT Act passed

04:39bipartisan majorities in both houses. So we want to work on those things, but we

04:44need some, we need some facts. And I, for one, believe that the agency ought to

04:52be providing that information. Thank you, Senator. And as I stated previously, it'd

04:57be my pleasure to come and brief you, this entire committee, on our plan and

05:00their thoughtful review that we're undergoing right now, and to get at

05:05what the ultimate number will be, and what we should look like in the future

05:08for success to better serve our veterans. Thank you. Mr. Chairman, I'll

05:12submit my poem for the record.

'This Is Performance, This Isn't Policy': Angus King Presses Trump Official On Mass Layoffs At VA

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