'That Is Not What We're Seeing': Tim Kennedy Shreds VA Sec. Collins Over Comment On Staffing Cuts

5 months ago

During a House Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing prior to the congressional recess, Rep. Timothy Kennedy (D-NY) spoke about staffing cuts at the VA.

Transcript

00:00Oh, Mr. Kenney, we'll start with, sorry, Mr. Kenney, we'll recognize you for five minutes.

00:04Thank you very much. Thank you all for being here today. I have some deep concerns about what's

00:10transpiring at the VA across this country, and I know veterans not only in my district but across

00:15the nation are disturbed about the news that is continuing to come out of the VA that will

00:23impact their care. Just to take a quick trip down memory lane, back in February, the VA dismissed a

00:32thousand employees outright. That was February 13th. Eleven days later, on February 24th, the VA cut

00:39another 1,400 employees, 2,400 people cut from serving our veterans in this nation. It was the

00:52beginning of a despicable pattern that we've seen coming out of this administration. In March,

01:01this committee discovered through a leaked memo that the VA planned to cut more than 80,000 employees,

01:08which Secretary Collins then confirmed. And now we're being told that the VA will not make this

01:14cut but would reduce the number of employees by nearly 30,000 by the end of the fiscal year.

01:2017,000 already gone, meaning there's going to be another 12,000, more than 12,000 additional cuts,

01:28the largest in VA history. And these reductions will affect critical frontline staff, including

01:36healthcare workers and benefits personnel. But I recall what Secretary Collins told this committee

01:43in May, and I'm going to quote the Secretary, the VA staffing structure is aimed at finding ways to improve

01:50care and benefits for veterans without cutting care and benefits for veterans. And we're going to maintain

01:55the VA's mission essential jobs, like doctors, nurses, and claims processors, while phasing out Michigan

02:03mission mission, non-mission essential roles.

02:11That is not what we're seeing.

02:14I want to believe that that would be true. But if it's not true, then this committee responsible for VA

02:22oversight has been misled. And I have a couple of questions. Ms. Theret, you visited multiple VA facilities

02:28and have spoken with a wide range of employees. Based on what you've seen, similar roles face similar

02:33challenges nationwide. So why were collective bargaining rights preserved for nurses and facility

02:40workers at the Milwaukee VA, but stripped from their counterparts in the community that I represent

02:47in Buffalo, despite nearly identical job functions?

02:53So, Representative Kennedy, the executive order related to labor relations is currently under litigation.

02:59There is a stay related to that executive order. So we are complying with that litigation right now.

03:06Okay, so no answer. The only clear difference that I can see is union affiliation. Buffalo workers are

03:13represented by unions that have filed lawsuits against this administration, unlike those in

03:18Milwaukee. That raises serious concerns about political retribution and retaliation. Can you explain

03:25at all these decisions, how they were made, and whether the union activity played a role?

03:36Representative Kennedy, I'm, at this point in time, based on the stay in that particular case,

03:41I can't answer that question. Okay, no answer again. Thank you. Dr. Elliott,

03:47after having conversations with VA employees in Buffalo, two things are clear to me. They take deep

03:51pride in serving our veterans, and they rely on their union to protect their rights and help them provide

03:57the best possible care. As you know, President Trump's EO 14-251 misused the national security

04:04exemption in Title V to remove employees, including those at Hampton VA and Buffalo, from the bargaining

04:12unit. You just mentioned in your testimony that 43% reduction in hiring, that you're behind.

04:21Based on your experience, has the VA's approach to collective bargaining helped or hurt your ability

04:28to attract and retain staff? I would say that it has. We have been, I guess,

04:35It has. It has. It has. It has. It has reduced our ability to recruit and retain. It has. But I also

04:45would like to say, if you don't mind, this situation about the 30,000 employees that are targeted,

04:55as far as a number goes. In 1989, I met a nurse named Miss Eddie Ricks. She told me that a failure

05:04to plan is a plan to fail. You probably have heard that. When you rely on random reductions,

05:12there can be danger there. You don't know which critical and which non-critical position is going

05:19to be reduced. So let's say, for example, if out of that 30,000, 10,000 of them are doctors, we can't,

05:27we can't tolerate that. Or if 15,000 of them are nurses, we can't. The gentleman's time has expired.

05:33We're going to move into a second. Thank you.

'That Is Not What We're Seeing': Tim Kennedy Shreds VA Sec. Collins Over Comment On Staffing Cuts

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