Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins has accepted a request to appear before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, although a date has yet to be set for the hearing.
The request was made earlier this month by SVAC Chairman Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.).
“I have requested Secretary Collins to testify before the committee, and he has agreed to do so,” Moran said in a statement.
Collins’ anticipated appearance will be his first since being sworn in as VA secretary on Feb. 5. VA has terminated 1,400 probationary workers since January and implemented a hiring freeze on nonessential positions in response to orders from President Donald Trump to downsize the federal government. VA also plans to reduce its workforce by up to 83,000 personnel – returning it to its 2019 staffing level - by the summer.
“Members of the committee will have the opportunity to question Secretary Collins on workforce changes and his plans to make the VA work better for veterans,” Moran said. “I also expect the secretary to also be able to testify about the president’s budget request for the Department of Veterans Affairs.”
During the hearing, lawmakers are expected to grill Collins on how the layoffs and staff reductions will impact the care and benefits veterans receive.
Collins has said the layoffs will make VA more efficient and veteran-centric. During the Disabled American Veterans Mid-Winter Conference in February, Collins stressed that there would be no impact on veterans' benefits or health care as a result of the layoffs: "Not compromised. Period," he said. DAV pushed for more transparency after he made such a claim.
During an SVAC meeting on March 11, Moran told lawmakers about the invitation to Collins to appear before them and stressed that Congress must have a major oversight role in “strategically shaping VA workforce decisions to achieve the right outcomes for veterans and their families.”
VA serves roughly 9 million veterans and is the second-largest agency in the federal government, coming in after the Defense Department.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
