Congressman Krishnamoorthi Denounces Potential Trump Administration Cuts to Veterans Services, Calls on VA Secretary to Reveal Any Plans for Further Cuts
SCHAUMBURG, IL – Today, in a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Douglas Collins, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) denounced potential plans for the Trump Administration to cut veterans benefits as part of Elon Musk’s DOGE initiative, including recently revealed plans to eliminate 83,000 employees from the department, potentially drastically slowing and reducing services for men and women who served the United States in uniforms.
“Reports indicate that the Trump Administration, working closely with ‘DOGE,’ has established an April 14th deadline for federal agencies to transmit further plans that are expected to include a significantly diminished organizational structure and the shuttering of public facing offices across the country,” Congressman Krishnamoorthi wrote. “Illinois is home to more than 550,000 veterans, more than half of whom are enrolled in Illinois’ Veterans Affairs healthcare system. I refuse to sit idly as the benefits and services that they earned by bravely serving our nation are stripped away under the guise of ‘efficiency’ and ‘cost savings’ that Elon Musk and DOGE purport to have identified.”
Noting this deadline and that the DOGE-demanded cuts could deny veterans the care they deserve, Congressman Krishnamoorthi issued the following requests for information to Secretary Collins:
What is the impact of the cuts already implemented and additional planned cuts on the administration of veterans benefits? Please include information specific to the changes in the VA workforce as it relates to how care is administered, such as the effects on skilled nursing care that veterans depend on.
Illinois is investing significantly in Veterans’ Homes programs that support aging and disabled veterans. How will your cuts affect the funding that supports these facilities?
More than one in four VA employees are veterans. Given your stated plans to make severe cuts to VA’s workforce, what protections will these former service members be afforded when your department fires them?
Congressman Krishnamoorthi requested a response by April 1, 2025. Read the full letter here.