It Is Happening Every Day, Every Where
Doug Collins, the veterans affairs secretary, is unlikely to accept Senator Richard Blumenthal’s invitation to appear on Capitol Hill to discuss the Trump administration’s cuts on veterans and the agency that serves them.
Clinical trials have been delayed, contracts canceled and support staff fired. With deeper cuts coming, some are warning of potential harms to veterans.
The job reductions would be a major escalation of the downsizing that has already occurred at the department, which provides health care and many other services to veterans.
Nearly 30 percent of civil service employees in the federal government are veterans, and Democrats are highlighting their firings by bringing some as guests to President Trump’s address Tuesday.
Former Representative Doug Collins does not have a traditional résumé for a V.A. secretary, but he fits the mold of a Trump loyalist.