Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins said the number of V.A. employees to be cut could change, and accused Democrats of trying to frighten veterans.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins pushed back on reports that his department would slash over 80,000 jobs, arguing that figures cited in internal department memos were merely goals and accusing Democrats of fear-mongering by saying the cuts would harm veterans’ care.
“Our goal is a 15 percent decrease — could be more, could be less,” Mr. Collins told the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee in his first Capitol Hill testimony since being confirmed to President Trump’s cabinet. He added that “no one has discussed firing doctors and firing nurses.”
Mr. Collins said that Democrats warning that the cuts could weaken veterans’ health care were trying to “scare my veterans and scare my employees.”
In heated exchanges with Democrats, Mr. Collins refused to say which jobs might be cut, arguing that it would be “malpractice” to publicize decisions not yet finalized.
Democratic and independent lawmakers took umbrage at his caginess, accusing him of trying to cover up the impact of the cuts.
“The fact that you won’t tell us what the contracts are that are being renegotiated makes me think there are things in those contracts that maybe you don’t want us to know about,” said Senator Angus King, independent of Maine, adding that “the goal should be efficiency, not a quota.”