1. United States
2. Mont.
3. Letter

The proposed plan to cut over 80,000 jobs from the Department of Veterans Affairs is deeply concerning. Terminating tens of thousands of employees would severely undermine the VA's ability to provide quality healthcare and services to the millions of veterans who rely on the agency. The VA already experienced record-high service levels last year, reaching over 9 million enrollees and delivering more than 127 million health care appointments. Slashing the workforce to 2019 staffing levels would hamstring the VA's capacity at a time when veteran needs are increasing, especially with the recent expansion of health care eligibility under the PACT Act for burn pit exposure. While improving efficiency is a laudable goal, indiscriminate job cuts could have devastating impacts on patient care, claims processing times, and other vital VA functions. Veterans have sacrificed for our nation, and they deserve a fully-staffed, well-resourced VA to honor that service. I urge you to reconsider this misguided reorganization plan. Instead of arbitrary workforce reductions, the VA should focus on evidence-based reforms that truly enhance its ability to serve our nation's veterans with high-quality, timely benefits and healthcare. Our veterans have earned nothing less.