VA leadership nominee grilled over recent department layoffs

Veterans Affairs Deputy Secretary nominee Paul Lawrence faced harsh questioning from Democrats during his confirmation hearing Wednesday not for his plans for future reforms within the department but instead for changes being put in place before he gets there.

Lawmakers lashed out at Lawrence, in line to be the second-highest ranking official at VA, for his lack of insight and outrage over the recent dismissal of more than 1,000 department workers as part of government-wide efforts to trim the federal workforce.

VA officials have insisted that the moves won’t hurt veterans’ benefits or medical care options. But Democratic lawmakers on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee called the firings arbitrary and reckless, and questioned whether White House officials considered the long-term impact of those moves.

“They’re just making stuff up, telling the public things that then later turn out not to be true,” said Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H. “They’re not thinking through how their actions will actually affect veterans. And I’m concerned that this reckless pattern of decision-making will continue.”

Lawrence, who served as VA’s under secretary for benefits during President Donald Trump’s first term in office, deflected most of those complaints, saying that he has not been involved in the personnel decisions ahead of his likely confirmation.

He promised to work closely with lawmakers to clarify how future personnel moves will and will not affect department operations, and expressed confidence that VA leaders are making moves to improve efficiency at the agency.

Lawrence’s job would effectively make him chief operating officer for the department, handling a variety of issues, including the ongoing electronic health records overhaul.

In December, VA officials said they hoped to restart that embattled effort in mid-2026. Lawrence said he hopes to move quicker on the issue.

“We can’t spend months again studying what’s going on and figuring it out,” he said. “Everything’s on the table. The goal is to come up with a plan that can be implemented … and to implement that plan.”

He also promised to continue implementation of the PACT Act — a 2022 law dramatically expanding veterans benefits eligibility for military toxic exposure injuries — and work for ways to offer more medical care options to veterans.

And he dismissed accusations that administration officials are working to massively shift veterans funding from federal medical centers to private-sector clinics.

“We are not going to privatize VA,” he said. “We would push back on any efforts to do that.”

Lawrence said he would ensure that outside officials — including members of the Department of Government Efficiency — do not access veterans’ benefits or health care information.

“Access to veterans’ benefits and health information is strictly guarded,” he said. “There is a restrictive process to do that.”

Lawrence is expected to be easily approved by the Republican-controlled Senate in coming weeks. If that happens, the vote will put confirmed officials in the department’s top two leadership posts as the White House tries to put in place further reform efforts at VA.