WASHINGTON – Today, during a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), a Marine combat veteran, raised serious concerns over the Trump Administration’s layoffs of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employees and cuts to programs that support veterans with PTSD and uphold the PACT Act.
Watch Senator Gallego’s questioning HERE.
The Trump Administration’s Cuts to PTSD Program
Senator Gallego started his questioning by asking Al Montoya, an Assistant Secretary at the VA about layoffs at the National Center for PTSD.
“For us who have PTSD this is extremely important because it is an evolving field of research that can help not just us but save us money in the long run and find better treatments for PTSD that are more effective and also cheaper. A contract was just terminated recently.” said Senator Gallego. “I am concerned these terminations will negatively impact their care specifically. Can you explain what safeguards you have in place and how you can restore contracts that were incorrectly terminated?”
Despite repeated questioning, the witness failed to provide a clear answer, stating only that there is a “deliberate process” for contract review, but did not provide specifics.
The Trump Administration’s Cuts that Impact the PACT Act
Senator Gallego also pressed Mark R. Engelbaum from the VA on cuts to programs that support the bipartisan Honoring Our PACT Act – which he cosponsored as a Congressman – that expands healthcare and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. The PACT Act is a much-needed step to ensure veterans get the health care they deserve.
“I lived next to a burn pit for almost one month. The men I served with, some of them have died from toxic exposure, some from very rare cancers at young ages. I’m very concerned some of those reductions when we are trying to finally help these men and women will be impacted and will be sliding backwards. Since the bill was signed to law nearly 60,000 veterans have viable claims,” said Senator Gallego. “Can you please explain how the cancellation of this contract won’t impact those benefits who qualify for the PACT Act benefits and health care?”
When pressed on the impact of these cuts, the witness admitted he could not address the specific contract in question and did not specifically commit to protecting the PACT Act.
Impacts of the Trump Administration’s Return-to-Office Mandates at the VA
Senator Gallego also raised the alarm over reports that PTSD therapy sessions are being conducted in open-air cubicles, where veterans are forced to undergo deeply personal therapy without privacy. This could be solved by reversing the VA’s mandatory return-to-office policies, which Senator Gallego is pushing the department to do.
“Essentially some of the therapists are told to get white noise and put ambient music in the background while next door someone could be listening to these veterans going through the therapy sessions,” said Senator Gallego. “It is not going to be a good environment when these men and women feel like they are not going to have a safe and secure environment to talk about what happens and what they are feeling if they are being forced to speak in this open-air cubicle, and that is the problem.”
“You force people back to the office but there’s not enough space for these men,” said Senator Gallego. “I just worry about a situation where you’re putting some of these men and women in a compromised situation because we are trying to create a policy that might have some merit but is then creating the system where it is not conducive to PTSD therapy.”
While the witness acknowledged concerns about the return-to-office policy, he failed to offer specific solutions to protect veterans’ privacy and ensure they can access these critical support services.