'This Is Performance, This Isn't Policy': Angus King Presses Trump Official On Mass Layoffs At VA

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During a Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs hearing prior to the congressional recess, Sen. Angus King (I-ME) spoke about the Trump Administration's plan to layoff roughly 80,000 employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:  https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript   Stay Connected Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes More From Forbes:  http://forbes.com

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00:00Senator Key. I was struck when Senator Cassidy mentioned poetry, so I asked

00:08ChattGBT to write us a poem about the firings at the VA. Here's the poem, which

00:16I will provide for the record. In the land where the eagle proudly soared,

00:21where freedom's song was off restored, a shadow crept across the plains as

00:25whispers spoke of recent pains. The halls, once filled with earnest care, now

00:30echoed with a vacant air, for hands that healed and hearts that served found

00:35futures tossed, their paths unnerved. The veterans, with stories deep, their

00:41guardians gone, their solace steep, they wondered if the promises made were

00:45fading like the evening shade. Oh, what of honor, what of trust, when noble

00:51missions turn to dust? Yet in the hearts where courage burns, the spirit of the

00:56warrior yearns, for though the times are harsh and cold, the tales of valor ever

01:00bold remind us, both young and old, that some truths are worth more than gold. So

01:07raise a glass to those who stood in every field through fire and blood, and

01:10may we find in days ahead the wisdom to restore what's fled. Pretty amazing, and I

01:19think it captures what's going on here. By the way, firing 80,000 people will

01:25reduce the VA budget by 1.2%. I think we ought to keep that in mind, because

01:31people think, well, we're cutting the budget, we're saving a lot of money, 1.2%.

01:36This is performance. This isn't policy. And it is 80,000 people. The memo of

01:44March 4th said, our initial objectives are returned to our 2019 end strength.

01:48That's 83,000 people. So I just don't know how anybody with a straight face

01:55could say you're going to cut that many people and still provide the same level

01:59of services. It just doesn't compute. The second piece that I

02:05want to inquire about, and I'll ask you this question, is what about these

02:09contracts? I saw the little video of the Secretary the other day, proudly saying,

02:14we've cut them, we've eliminated 600 contracts, we're going to save all this

02:17money. I want to know what the contracts are. And we've been asking that for a

02:22week, and we're getting no answers. What are those 585 contracts for? Because I

02:31fear that they're for mental health counselors, or radiology technicians, or

02:38maintenance. I mean, those contracts are for something. And it's an insult to

02:44this committee and to the United States Senate that we have no transparency

02:48whatsoever on what these contracts are. So that's a pretty simple ask. Will you

02:53take that question back, Mr. Engelbaum? Senator, it would be my pleasure.

02:57Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of information on the specific contracts

03:01that's handled under any different mechanism, but I will take that for

03:03record and take that back. Well, somebody knows what those, and I don't expect you

03:07to know, but somebody knows what those contracts are because they've made

03:11a decision to cut them, and I think that information should be shared with this

03:14committee. So I just, it's hard for me to understand what what's going on here

03:22except a motivation to show that we're cutting the workforce

03:28for relatively small returns in terms of the overall budget of the agency. And I

03:34think you use the term meat cleaver. The operative term is chainsaw. That's what

03:39that grinning guy is using as a chainsaw instead of a thoughtful process.

03:44So I would like to see, as I think has already been requested, what the plan is

03:51for these 83,000 people. How are you going to approach that? Who's going to do it?

03:55What's the criteria? Because it's hard for me to believe. I understand, and you

04:01said we've grown for sure, but seven new bills have been passed with regard to

04:08veterans benefits since 2019, the biggest being the PACT Act, which require

04:13a lot of people to administer. And so I just want to know how you're going to,

04:19how are you going to resolve those kinds of issues? So I apologize, Mr. Chairman,

04:25for not speaking to these bills, but these people had the good luck to be

04:30here today. Thank you for your testimony, and we look forward to working with you

04:35on these bills. This is a very bipartisan committee. The PACT Act passed

04:39bipartisan majorities in both houses. So we want to work on those things, but we

04:44need some, we need some facts. And I, for one, believe that the agency ought to

04:52be providing that information. Thank you, Senator. And as I stated previously, it'd

04:57be my pleasure to come and brief you, this entire committee, on our plan and

05:00their thoughtful review that we're undergoing right now, and to get at

05:05what the ultimate number will be, and what we should look like in the future

05:08for success to better serve our veterans. Thank you. Mr. Chairman, I'll

05:12submit my poem for the record.

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