Veterans Secretary Doug Collins reported that his division would cut more than 80,000 jobs, and argued that the numbers cited in internal division memos were mere goals and accused Democrats of terrifying by saying they would harm veteran care.
“Our goal is a 15% reduction — more, maybe less,” Collins told the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee in his first Capitol Hill testimony since being confirmed by President Trump's cabinet. He added, “No one has discussed firing doctors and nurses.”
Collins said Democrats have warned that it could undermine health care for veterans.
In a fierce interaction with Democrats, Collins refused to say which jobs will be cut, and argued that publishing a decision that has not yet been decided would be a “medical malpractice.”
A democratic and independent lawmaker took umbrage on his witch and accused him of trying to hide the impact of the cut.
“The fact that they don't tell us what a contract is being renegotiated makes us think there are things you don't want us to know,” said Sen. Angus King, who is unrelated to Maine.
Sen. Maggie Hassan, a New Hampshire Democrat, told Collins, “When most people state their goals, they decided they wanted to get there.”
Democrats were not alone in expressing concern. Most Republicans on the panel provided support to Collins, but Sen. Jerry Moran, chairman of the panel, warned that cuts should not be the goal.
“That shouldn't be the set number you're trying to reach,” he said. “It should be about sizing the department correctly.”
During the hearing, Democrats questioned whether the Trump administration had considered how cuts would affect efficiency. Some people argued that maintaining the roles of doctors and nurses while firing claims processors still delayed care. Others said that if the work of information technology experts is eliminated, the administration's efforts to focus their pay system and digitize their health records would be undermined.
Many cited the department's example of employees who were initially let go of as evidence that Congress could not trust the administration to plan cuts without giving details.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat of Michigan, told Collins, “When you fire people and then get rehired, that's not a secret plan,” he told Collins:
Collins admitted that the error occurred and said staff had rehired to certain positions. However, he denied that either cut was undermining the department's work.
Under questions from Moran, Collins highlighted the example of the Veterans Crisis Line, claiming that he “was protecting everyone who actually answered the call.” He said he personally decided to rehire all the layoff staff.
He also said the Trump administration plans to invest more in healthcare services, referring to the $5 billion extra VA funds the Trump administration requested from Congress last week in fiscal year 2026.
