Wasserman Schultz on Veterans’ Health Care Assault from VA Firings

Washington, February 14, 2025
Firing 1,000 VA staff will clearly do nothing to better help serve our veterans, instead instilling chaos and uncertainty in a system that is already short staffed and complicated to navigate. Instead of tearing apart the VA, Democrats will fight for our veterans to invest in the VA and provide the resources and care they have earned and desperately need.

Washington, DC – U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), the Ranking Member on the House Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, released the following statement in response to the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs confirming it dismissed more than 1,000 employees:

Under President Trump’s cruel directive, the VA Secretary’s indiscriminate firing of 1,000 public servants, including veterans, at a time where VA hospitals and clinics are already short staffed, is a direct assault on veterans and their families. In fact, the VA just notified our committee of a $6 billion shortfall - all of it needed to staff the growing need for health care. When the PACT Act became law under President Biden, it brought thousands of veterans into the VA for the first time to receive the lifechanging benefits and medical care they deserve. Firing 1,000 VA staff will clearly do nothing to better help serve our veterans, instead instilling chaos and uncertainty in a system that is already short staffed and complicated to navigate. Instead of tearing apart the VA, Democrats will fight for our veterans to invest in the VA and provide the resources and care they have earned and desperately need.”