‘A scalpel, not a sword': Local veteran reacts to more VA cuts
'Those are the things that you can't get back,' Lee said. 'You know, you look through pictures and you're like, yeah, I'm not standing there.'
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After four decades of service, Lee retires and now relies heavily on the VA benefits contractually provided to him. He says he held up his end of the deal throughout his service and expects the U.S. government to do the same.
'When you begin to cut the VA, you begin to tread on the contract that we as veterans, we as soldiers, made with the United States of America,' Lee said.
These comments come after efforts to reduce federal spending continue. Thousands of VA employees were let go last month, among hundreds of VA contracts.
A reorganization plan released today aims to cut 80,000 additional jobs from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The goal is to bring staffing levels from about 482,000 to just below 400,000, as it was in 2019.
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These changes concern some veterans.
'You want to do surgery with a scalpel, not a sword,' Lee said. 'The VA should be fully funded and fully staffed.'
Some are concerned that the cuts to staffing would mean a drop in care quality or services provided. Veterans note the hazardous materials they are exposed to during service, making healthcare once they retire a top priority.
Exposure to toxins was shown in a significant demonstration by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander in Chief Alfred Lipphardt during his hearing with the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs Tuesday.
Lipphardt asked the veterans in the room to stand if they were exposed to toxins during service, something that generated an audible 'wow' from committee member Representative Mark Takano (D-California).
Lee watched the whole demonstration happen.
'There were probably 400 people in the room,' Lee said. 'He said, I want everybody that is a veteran who was exposed to toxins while they served to stand up. Nobody sat down. Everybody stood up. And that's a powerful statement right there.'
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins said the changes and cuts will not impact veterans' care or benefits in a video released on X Wednesday.
'The federal government does not exist to employ people,' Collins said. 'It exists to serve people. At the VA we are focused on serving veterans better than ever before. And doing so requires changing and improving the organization.'
The changes are set to take effect in August.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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