Senator vows to hold all VA nominees over planned staff cuts

Arizona Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego on Tuesday vowed to hold all senior Veterans Affairs nominees in an effort to force department leaders to reconsider massive planned cuts to the agency’s workforce in coming months.

The move by Gallego — a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and a Marine Corps veteran who saw combat in Iraq — came on the same day the committee held confirmation hearings for three senior department posts.

Republican leaders can still get around the holds and confirm those posts, but doing so will take extra floor time and procedural maneuvers. Gallego said the obstruction is worthwhile to highlight the potential dangers of VA leaders’ planned cuts.

“Let’s sit down and actually have a real review about where we can find efficiencies, where we can make investments in VA,” he said in an interview with Military Times. “Maybe that does mean that we have to close some areas, merge some areas, hire more people, invest in technology.

“But the fact is [the administration] is not doing any of that. They’re saying the best way for us to make improvements is just to cut the workforce. They’re not telling us how that actually is going to improve the lives of veterans, or if we’re actually improving efficiency.”

Last month, leaked documents revealed plans by VA leadership to cut the department’s workforce by more than 80,000 individuals, returning staffing to 2019 levels. VA Secretary Doug Collins has said the moves will make the department leaner and more focused without harming benefits delivery.

But Democratic lawmakers — and many outside advocacy groups — have questioned that assertion, noting that officials are performing a review of staffing needs and gaps after already publicly committing to the sweeping cuts.

The Senate has already confirmed the top leadership posts at VA: Collins and Deputy Secretary Paul Lawrence.

Trump has not yet announced nominees for the Under Secretary of Health and Under Secretary for Benefits. Former Senate candidate Sam Brown, nominee for Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs, was expected to quickly gain confirmation before Gallego’s hold.

Brown faced mostly calm questioning at a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing Tuesday alongside James Baehr, Trump’s nominee to be general counsel for VA, and Richard Topping, Trump’s nominee to be VA’s chief financial officer.

Gallego said he will remove the holds if VA leaders “commit to abandon plans to unilaterally layoff over 83,000 VA employees.”