medical-veterans

How Are These Budget Cuts and Firings Affecting Veterans

By: Stephanie Kalota 
Founder, Veteran Legislative Voice & AHG Correspondent

On day 1 of President Trump’s term, he ordered mass funding freezes across the federal government. This caused mass confusion and stress, only to have some reversed, or the freezes held up in the judicial system. 

But how is this affecting our veterans? In actuality? A LOT… and we are only 38 days into this administration. At the direction of DOGE, the Department of Veterans Affairs planned to cut “billions of dollars in planned contract cuts following concerns that the move would hurt critical veterans’ health services, lawmakers and veterans service organizations said Wednesday.” But AP News reports that those planned cuts are now suspended. They “ obtained the full list of 875 affected contracts, which shows the cuts would affect everything from cancer care to the ability to assess toxic exposure. The list underscores how the Trump administration’s approach to broad spending reductions has immediate and potentially unintended consequences, generating significant concern not just among Democrats but also Republican lawmakers.” Thankfully it appears that the VA is doing a more detailed review of the planned cuts. Many of these funding plans were approved in legislation like the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022.

Now on to the firings of VA employees. The Department of Veterans Affairs reported that they recently let go 1400 probationary employees after over 1,000 employees were already let go in January. Both press releases assured that the mission-critical positions are exempt from these firings and that these firings have enabled the VA to redirect over 181 million dollars to healthcare, benefits, and services for VA beneficiaries. But Veteran Service Organizations have been sounding off with concern about these actions. Randy Reese, executive director of Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Washington Headquarters, stated, “The recent VA workforce cuts are deeply concerning, especially given the unprecedented lack of transparency surrounding these decisions. Veterans and their families deserve clear answers on how these reductions will impact their care and benefits.” Task & Purpose stated that “The national commander for Veterans of Foreign Wars, Al Lipphardt, recently noted that roughly 30% of the 2.2 million people who work for the federal government are veterans and, as a result, the military community is being hit hard by the layoffs.”

veterans-legistrative

Legislation Update for Our Veterans

By: Stephanie Kalota 
Founder, Veteran Legislative Voice & AHG Correspondent

With each new congressional session, a large influx of legislation is introduced with the hopes of passing. Unfortunately, only 4 to 7% of legislation is passed each session.

The Restore VA Accountability Act of 2025, S. 124, was introduced by Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) on January 16, 2025. This bill is supposed to amend Title 38, United States Code, to provide for disciplinary procedures for supervisors and managers at the Department of Veterans Affairs and to modify the procedures for personnel actions against Department employees, among other purposes. This bill is reminiscent of a law that passed under President Trump’s first term, which has gotten some blowback in the judicial system when fired employees fought against the legality of the law. It had overturned so much that the VA stopped following that new law. Some of those fired employees ended up being reinstated with back pay. If this new bill passes, we will have to see if it will pass the legality test in the judicial system.

The Veterans Health Care Freedom Act, H.R. 71, was introduced by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-5) on January 3, 2025. This bill is supposed to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program to improve the ability of veterans to access medical care in the medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the community by providing the veterans the ability to choose health care providers. Currently, veterans are often given medical providers at will by those working the scheduling, often first available. This legislation would give veterans the agency to choose which doctor they are seen by. Unintentionally this could give the VA an idea of the performance of these providers because patients are not going to return to providers that treat them terribly.

The Lead by Example Act of 2025, H.R. 149, was introduced by Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH-8) on January 3, 2025. This bill is supposed to ensure that Members of Congress and Congressional staff receive health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs instead of under the Federal Health Benefits Program or health care exchanges. This is a bill that has been submitted a few times in the past and has yet to pass.

The Veterans Infertility Treatment Act of 2025, H.R. 220, was introduced by Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA-26) on January 7, 2025. This bill is supposed to amend Title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide coverage for infertility treatment and standard fertility preservation services, and for other purposes. Currently, the only veterans who qualify for infertility treatment are those who have infertility due to direct service-connected issues. This will give infertility treatment to everyone.