WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a hearing of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC), U.S. Senator Angus King pressed the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough on the Department’s budget proposal that includes a cut of 10,000 positions. In the exchange, King asked McDonough to explain the reduction in the VA’s requested budget, as demand for both mental health and overall healthcare steadily increases and the VA continues to provide care to record numbers of veterans. 

“Now, on the negative side, as you know, there is a provision in your budget that sees a reduction in staff of about 10,000. How do you justify that in terms of the growth in demand for services,” questioned Senator King. “How do we be confident in this committee that we are not sacrificing the quality of service to our veterans if we are reducing staff at the same time demand is going up?

“The budget here reflects the budget agreement — the bipartisan budget agreement — and I think it’s generous to VA, but it does force some choices on us. And we’ve put those choices in black and white in the budget,” began Secretary McDonough.

“Two, we do believe that because of the strength of the hiring in the last couple of years that we, in particular are better — not 100% obviously — but better sourced with clinicians. The nurses are an example of that. Three, we have tested this proposition with access sprints since last October and between October and February, we saw 25,000 more new veterans, unique new veterans, for care than we did a year ago,” concluded Secretary McDonough.

“That’s a good thing, I just want to be sure you have the staff to serve them,” said Senator King.

“Right. And that is because we did evening clinics, weekend clinics. Fourth point is, as the chairman pointed out his opening comments on mental health care, we do have a goal of net zero [full time employees] during the course of the next year,” explained Secretary McDonough.

Representing a state with one of the highest rates of veterans per capita, Senator King is a staunch advocate for America’s servicemembers and veterans. A member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, 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.  King has also repeatedly pressed the VA on the need to hire and retain more staff in order to meet the demand for veteran care. An advocate for amplifying veteran voices, King held a field hearing in January focusing on long-term care in Maine. He also spearheaded the passage of legislation to better track and study servicemember suicides by job assignment. Last year, King introduced bipartisan legislation to support veterans with mental traumas, as well as celebrated President Biden signing his legislation into law, which increases benefits for veterans and military families. Most recently, he introduced the Long-Term Care Workforce Support Act to help revitalized the American long-term care workforce by making jobs more attractive and better compensated.

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