[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 64 (Wednesday, April 9, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2491-S2493]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                 Unanimous Consent Request--S. Res. 165

  Mr. SANDERS. Madam President, let me cut to the chase, and I will try 
to be brief here. We hear a lot of talk on the floor of the Senate 
about patriotism, about love of country, about how we all have to work 
together for the common good. It would seem to me that when we talk 
about those who sacrificed, those who have put their lives on the line 
to defend this country, we are talking about the men and women in 
America who are veterans.
  Yet what we have seen in the last month from the President and from 
Elon Musk is a chain saw approach to essentially destroy the Veterans' 
Administration, and that is, there are plans afoot--public; no one is 
debating the numbers--they want to fire 83,000 employees. When you fire 
83,000 employees, no one, nobody believes that anything else will 
happen but that there will be a deterioration in the quality of 
healthcare our veterans receive or a delay in the benefits they have 
earned.
  Now, I have heard criticism of the VA. The VA is the largest 
healthcare system in America. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. Does it 
have its problems? Of course it does. But compared to what? Compared to 
the American healthcare system, which is the most expensive in the 
world? a system in which 83 million Americans are uninsured or 
underinsured? where 60,000 people die each year? where we have the 
lowest life expectancy of any other major country on Earth?
  So, no, the VA is not perfect. It needs improvement. But I will tell 
you that in the State of Vermont, I talk to a lot of veterans. I am the 
former chair of the Veterans' Committee, and I have been honored to 
talk to veterans of Vermont and all over this country. In Vermont, what 
they tell me is there is enormous pride in the quality of care they get 
at the VA Medical Center in White River Junction, VT, and as well in 
the community-based outreach clinics that exist all over our State.
  And I expect, with some exceptions, that is true all over the 
country. The bottom line is, veterans appreciate the care that they get 
at the VA. They want it improved, but they appreciate it, and they do 
not believe that there should be massive cuts to the Veterans' 
Administration.
  The truth is that in fiscal year 2024, before Trump took office, the 
VA reported over 36,000 vacancies, including 2,400 doctors, 6,300 
registered nurses, 1,800 social workers, and 1,200 custodians.
  When you have a workforce shortage, the solution is not to fire 
83,000 people; it is to add people. It is to make sure you know where 
your workforce is going and that you have quality people. But you don't 
lay off 83,000 people.
  That is not just my view.
  It would seem to me that before you take a chain saw to the Veterans' 
Administration, you might want to talk to the veterans organizations 
and see what they think about it.
  The Veterans of Foreign Wars, or VFW, said:

       We call upon VA to reconsider its planned reduction of 
     83,000 employees and thoroughly review any proposed cuts 
     prior to rolling out further announcements like this.

  The Paralyzed Veterans of America said that they are ``deeply 
troubled by actions being taken in Washington,

[[Page S2492]]

D.C. that are already having a detrimental impact on the services that 
veterans with spinal cord injuries and diseases like ALS and MS rely 
on.''
  The Disabled American Veterans, or DAV, said:

       We are extremely concerned about the leaked proposal to 
     arbitrarily eliminate 80,000 VA employees.

  That is what some of the major veterans organizations are saying, and 
I have talked to all of the--virtually all of the--veterans 
organizations. And they are deeply, deeply, deeply concerned about the 
cuts that we have seen and the cuts that Musk is proposing.
  So this is not a difficult issue. Everybody here wants to make the VA 
more efficient. The way you do that is to come up with some plans. You 
work with the Veterans Committee, and you see how we can make the VA 
more efficient. Nobody in their right mind thinks that just firing 
83,000 people is the way to go.
  And let me be very clear: Mr. Musk has made it public that he thinks 
that we should privatize anything that can be privatized. There are 
people--not all people--in the Republican Party who eventually want to 
privatize Social Security. We are looking at $880 billion in cuts to 
Medicaid that dismantle that very important healthcare organization.
  And if anybody thinks that the laying off of 83,000 employees of the 
VA--the lowering of quality of care that our veterans will receive--is 
not a prelude to the movement to privatize the VA, you would be surely 
mistaken.
  So with that, Madam President, as if in legislative session and 
notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 165, which was submitted 
earlier today; further, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be 
agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to 
reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no 
intervening action or debate.
  The bottom line: Do not lay off 83,000 employees at the Veterans' 
Administration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. Reserving the right to object, on November 5, 
President Trump was given a mandate: Get this country straightened out. 
This included waste, fraud, and abuse in our Federal Government, over 
all Agencies.
  The VA is a perfect example. Under President Biden, the VA increased 
its staff 80,000 employees in 4 years.
  Let me repeat that: Under President Biden, the VA increased its staff 
80,000 people.
  You would think that this would mean that we would increase the 
efficiency of our VA 80,000 percent. Unfortunately, that is not the 
case. Despite the Biden administration ballooning the size of the 
Department, the VA has nothing to show for it. In fact, wait times and 
backlogs have gone up. It hasn't worked. So these cuts are not 
warranted. They are completely necessary.
  By reducing the numbers of employees, these savings can be redirected 
to actually providing veterans healthcare and benefits, while still 
protecting the VA's mission-critical jobs, like doctors, nurses, and 
claims processors, to do the job it was meant to do. And phasing out 
nonmission-critical jobs like DEI officers and interior designers, for 
just a few, is necessary to get this job done.
  Now, I don't want to oversimplify this. I know these problems at the 
VA exist. They always have existed. Since 2015, the VA care has been on 
the Government Accountability Office's list of high risk. That means it 
has been audited: Are they doing their job? Not very good reviews.
  We have to do better for our veterans.
  I come from a military family and have spent many hours in the VA. 
Some are good; some are not so good. Let's stand up for our veterans.
  The VA challenges across the board, from overseeing simple things 
like safety and access of care, are essential. And it is not--not--by 
having more people. It is by having better people.
  The VA is not supposed to be a massive bureaucracy. That is not what 
it was meant to be. It was created to serve our veterans.
  This resolution being put forward would directly prevent President 
Trump from carrying out his mandate that the American people gave him. 
The American people have spoken, and the days of business as usual are 
over. The VA is going to get better.
  For these reasons, Madam President, I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The objection is heard.
  The Senator from Vermont.
  Mr. SANDERS. I am not aware that in the so-called mandate of 
President Trump--and, by the way, he got millions of votes less than 
Joe Biden got 4 years previously. I don't recall that during the 
campaign, Trump went around the country saying: Hey, elect me, and then 
I will lay off 83,000 workers at the Veterans' Administration.
  Yes, we all want the VA to operate more efficiently, but the idea 
that you can lay off 83,000 employees and make that happen is absurd.
  The truth is, again, before Trump took office, we had a significant 
shortage in the number of doctors, nurses, mental health counselors, 
and other practitioners. So it is disturbing to me that anyone who 
claims to be supporting veterans in this country and the sacrifices 
they have made would object to this amendment, this resolution.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois.
  Ms. DUCKWORTH. Madam President, let me just say that, at the VA, we 
recently passed the PACT Act, which added well over a million veterans 
to the rolls to help care for them after they were exposed to toxic 
substances. This is not the time to cut the funding for the VA.
  But I am here today to speak on behalf of all veterans who have been 
fired by President Trump and Elon Musk.
  Look, Donald Trump couldn't tell you the meaning of the words 
``service'' or ``sacrifice'' if he had a dictionary laying open in 
front of him. So how dare a coward who cried ``bone spurs,'' when his 
Nation needed him the most, turn his back on those who, unlike him, 
were actually brave enough to serve our country in uniform.
  What he has done to our veterans in just a few months since he has 
been back in office amounts to a total betrayal. For no apparent 
reason, he has already fired more veterans than any other American 
President in modern history, over 6,000 and counting. He has been 
forcing the bravest people you or I could ever meet to have to worry 
about how they are going to put food on their family's table next week 
or keep a roof over their heads next month.
  The biggest predictor of veterans homelessness is not that they are 
suffering from post-traumatic stress. It is not substance abuse. It is 
loss of a job. Homelessness is directly linked to joblessness.
  These folks that Trump fired, these are folks who did one, two, six, 
even seven tours. They came home and chose to continue serving their 
Nation by joining the Federal service. These are heroes who deserve our 
utmost gratitude, not a letter from Elon Musk telling them that they 
failed to do their jobs and that they are out of those jobs.
  Instead, Trump and Elon Musk gave them the middle finger and a pink 
slip. ``Cadet Bone Spurs'' may like to wrap himself in the flag with 
one hand, but with the other he is signing off on the orders that sell 
out our veterans to line the pockets of his rich friends, and our 
warriors deserve better.
  So this afternoon, Senator Blumenthal, Senator Sanders, and I are 
introducing three resolutions that demand the reinstatement of every 
veteran who has been fired and betrayed by Donald Trump. If Republicans 
actually care about our heroes, like they claim to when they are on the 
campaign trail, then they will vote with us Democrats and help give our 
veterans their Federal jobs back. Otherwise, they are making it clear 
that they would rather bow down at the altar of Donald Trump than stand 
up for our heroes.
  As if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask 
unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. 
Res. 166, which was submitted earlier today. Further, I ask unanimous 
consent that

[[Page S2493]]

the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the 
motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with 
no intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Montana.
  Mr. SHEEHY. Reserving the right to object, my colleague Senator 
Duckworth is a brave veteran of our Nation's War on Terror, and Senator 
Blumenthal as well served, as did many of us. And I don't think there 
is any disagreement that we want the absolute best for our veterans--
combat or otherwise--and we will always do everything we can in this 
body to make sure that our veterans not only have the care they need 
when they get home, but they can pursue great careers for the next 
phase of life.
  But truth also matters, and the truth is there was no outrage from 
our Democrat colleagues when the Biden administration summarily fired 
tens of thousands of veterans--Active-Duty servicemembers and 
reservists--from Federal contracting jobs and from Active-Duty military 
service without any due process, during the COVID pandemic, when they 
decided that these people, who had very legitimate reservations about 
their personal health, did not have a place in our government or 
military, and they were blowing out the side of the service.
  No due process, not even a thank-you letter--they were kicked out of 
the service--highly trained patriots who fought for this country, who 
were willing to fight for this country again. That is betrayal. They 
were betrayed, and nothing was ever said from our Democratic colleagues 
about that.
  The truth is, the VA--the VA, as an organization--is meant to serve 
our veterans. The purpose of the VA is to take care of veterans, not to 
grow its own bureaucracy. In the last 5 years since 2019, the VA 
employment has gone from 379,000 to 486,000 employees, over 5 years--a 
28 percent increase--while the VA's budget grew by 77.7 percent during 
the same period.
  During that time, the amount of veterans in our country decreased by 
9.2 percent. So as our veteran population decreased, our employment 
overhead at the VA increased tremendously, and that reflected the 
similar growth across the rest of our Federal Government.
  So what was going on for 5 years, especially during the COVID years, 
was artificial job creation by the government on a mass scale. And now, 
to recover our Nation from fiscal tragedy--from a $37 trillion debt and 
growing--we have to make hard choices, and those choices have to come 
down to what is working. And what veterans need most of all is a 
healthy government.
  They fought to protect this country. They have put their lives on the 
line and sometimes gave away limbs and family members so that this 
country could be strong. We owe it to them to make sure we make good 
decisions and that this country continues to be strong. And that means 
we have to get this government back in order, and that means returning 
our Agencies back to prepandemic size. And most veterans will support 
those tough decisions full-throatedly.
  The truth is, President Trump is very pro-veteran. His policies, 
right now, are putting our servicemembers first. He is showing strength 
on the world stage instead of weakness, which has brought untold 
tragedy not just on our military but also on our allies around the 
world.
  Growing the government with no end in sight, growing Agencies with no 
metric for success is not pro-veteran. That is not pro-American. It is 
just more government.
  And the truth is, whether it is the VA or any other Federal Agency, 
we are proud to have veterans working in this government across the 
board. They have preferred hiring rights, as they should, and we are 
going to protect their important jobs and, most importantly, protect 
their care when they get out. But the VA has to be a healthy, 
functioning organization for that to occur, as do other Agencies.
  Veteran employment is a core value that we have in our Federal 
workforce. President Trump knows that. This body knows that, and we 
will protect it. But we also owe those veterans a strong, efficient 
government. That is what we are going to deliver to them. That is what 
we are going to do today.
  Therefore, I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The objection is heard.
  The Senator from Illinois.
  Ms. DUCKWORTH. I just want to set the record straight that the VA's 
population of employees did grow because of the PACT Act, a bill that 
was voted on and passed in a bipartisan way to save the lives of those 
veterans who would otherwise be dying if they did not have access to VA 
healthcare for the illnesses that are caused by their exposure to toxic 
substances.
  So let's be clear about why we hired more people within the 
Department of Veterans Affairs: It was because they were given the 
permission by this Congress, by this body, in a bipartisan way, passing 
the PACT Act legislation, which funded care for veterans who were 
exposed to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan and toxic substances from 
their military service.
  My resolution is about all veterans who serve this Nation. Some of 
the veterans who have been laid off are park rangers in our National 
Park Service who are now out of a job--people who were promoted because 
they did such a good job.
  One person I was trying to get their job back was actually working 
with the Veterans Crisis Hotline. They were doing such a good job 
answering the phones that they were promoted to trainer. As soon as 
they were promoted to be a trainer to help other people to answer those 
hotlines, which could help stop veterans death by suicide, they became 
probationary employees, and they were fired.
  That is the kind of thing we are talking about--people being laid off 
from their jobs, veterans who worked hard for this country and worked 
hard in the Department of Veterans Affairs and other Federal Agencies 
like the National Park Service, like the EPA, like the DOT. And that is 
whom Donald Trump and Elon Musk are firing.
  If you want to save money, I am all for it. I am there with you. I 
actually passed legislation that saved this country billions of dollars 
in fraud and waste that occurred in the Department of Defense.
  I also think that Elon Musk's decision to deport people to India 
using a C-17 aircraft at the cost of $2 million of taxpayer money, when 
normally that flight would cost $38,000 if you were to actually charter 
an aircraft, was an egregious waste of taxpayer dollars.
  Let's talk about who is wasting money here. Elon Musk is wasting 
money, and it is Donald Trump wasting money. At the same time, 
President Trump has become the President who fired the most veterans in 
our Nation's modern history, over 6,000 fired and counting. Let's set 
the record straight.
  Thank you, Mr. President.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Sheehy). The Senator from Nevada.