WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC) is demanding Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins provide transparency into the cancellation of 585 VA contracts. In a letter to Secretary Collins, the Senator requested a full list of all the contracts cancelled and made clear that arbitrary, reckless cancellations will adversely impact veteran care in Maine and across the country. At the end of February, the VA announced a list of 875 contracts that would be cancelled; less than 24 hours later another announcement was released stating those cancellations were on hold. One week later, the VA announced the cancellation of an additional 585 contracts, but so far has not confirmed what contracts would be included. Included in the first list of cancellations was a contract for the only radiation safety officer (RSO) at Togus VA Medical Center in Maine. The role is responsible for overseeing radiology safety and is required by law; without an RSO in place, the radiology department at Togus may be forced to close its doors.

“I write to immediately request information about both the 875 and 585 “non-mission critical” contracts that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), at your direction, cancelled or proposed to cancel starting on or about February 25, with a particular focus on contracts that will impact services for veterans in the state of Maine. My constituents are confused by the back and forth of these announcements, and they need answers. To date, despite committing to transparency with Congress in your nomination process, your Department has refused to answer even the most basic questions my office and those of other Senators have asked about these contracts,” wrote Senator King.

“The press release announcing the March 3^rd contract cancellations states that this move will not ‘negatively impact Veteran care, benefits or services;’ without knowing what these contracts cover, I am skeptical of these claims. Included in the 875 contracts first targeted for cancellation was a contract for the only radiation safety officer (RSO) at the Togus VA Medical Center in Maine. As you know, hospitals like Togus are required by multiple state and federal regulations to have an RSO. The RSO is responsible for overseeing radiation safety programs and ensuring compliance with state, federal, and institutional regulations. The RSO also monitors radiation levels to ensure that measures are in place to detect potential hazardous levels of radiation and, in the event of a radiation incident or exposure, they investigate and report the circumstances of the event and implement corrective actions. Cancelling this position would negatively impact veteran care and may force Togus to close their radiology department,” continued Senator King.

Representing one of the states with the highest rates of military families and veterans per capita, Senator King has been a staunch advocate for America’s servicemembers and veterans. A member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC), he works to ensure American veterans receive their earned benefits and that the VA is properly implementing various programs such as the PACT Act, the State Veterans Homes Domiciliary Care Flexibility Act, and the John Scott Hannon Act. In early February, in a letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins, Senator King joined his colleagues in urging for immediate action to secure veterans’ personal information provided by VA or other agencies to Elon Musk and his “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), a measure that would protect millions of veterans’ medical records stored in VA’s computer systems. Previously, Senator King introduced the Lethal Means Safe Storage for Veteran Suicide Prevention Act to provide firearm storage to veterans in an effort to reduce suicides among the veteran population. In addition, he helped pass the Veterans COLA Act, which increased benefits for 30,000 Maine veterans and their families. Recently, Senator King introduced bipartisan legislation alongside SVAC Chairman Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) to improve care coordination for veterans who rely on both VA health care and Medicare. This year, Senator King was honored by the Disabled American Veterans as its 2025 Legislator of the Year. Last year, he was recognized by the Wounded Warrior Project as the 2024 Legislator of the Year for his “outstanding legislative effort and achievement to improve the lives of the wounded, ill, and injured veterans.” Most recently, he joined SVAC Ranking Member Senator Blumenthal in writing a letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins raising concerns over proposed $1 spending limits on VA purchase cards which are used to pay for gas to transport disabled veterans to apportionments, buy medical supplies and more.  

The full text of the letter is available here and below.

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Dear Secretary Collins:

I write to immediately request information about both the 875 and 585 “non-mission critical” contracts that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), at your direction, cancelled or proposed to cancel starting on or about February 25, with a particular focus on contracts that will impact services for veterans in the state of Maine. My constituents are confused by the back and forth of these announcements, and they need answers. To date, despite committing to transparency with Congress in your nomination process, your Department has refused to answer even the most basic questions my office and those of other Senators have asked about these contracts.

The press release announcing the March 3^rd contract cancellations states that this move will not “negatively impact Veteran care, benefits or services”; without knowing what these contracts cover, I am skeptical of these claims. Included in the 875 contracts first targeted for cancellation was a contract for the only radiation safety officer (RSO) at the Togus VA Medical Center in Maine. As you know, hospitals like Togus are required by multiple state and federal regulations to have an RSO. The RSO is responsible for overseeing radiation safety programs and ensuring compliance with state, federal, and institutional regulations. The RSO also monitors radiation levels to ensure that measures are in place to detect potential hazardous levels of radiation and, in the event of a radiation incident or exposure, they investigate and report the circumstances of the event and implement corrective actions. Cancelling this position would negatively impact veteran care and may force Togus to close their radiology department.

Additionally, my office has been notified that a Maine constituent is a subcontractor on another contract included in the list of 875; that contract gathers data on the implementation of suicide prevention practices. We share a commitment to ending veteran suicide, and during your confirmation hearing before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC), you made a full-throated commitment to working with members of the Committee on this issue.

Unfortunately, these cancellations run counter to your commitment. That is why I am asking you to work with members of SVAC and provide answers to the questions we are being asked by our constituents. Please provide my office with a full list of the 585 contracts cancelled, as well as a separate list of all contracts cancelled with a footprint in Maine, no later than COB Friday, March 7.

Sincerely,

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