Blumenthal Announces Series of Shadow Hearings to Highlight Harm of Trump VA Directives

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today announced a series of shadow hearings to counter President Donald Trump’s mass firing of federal veteran employees and slashing cuts to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) care and benefits. He is organizing the hearings with Committee Democratic members over the next few weeks to highlight the impact of the Trump Administration’s policies on veterans and VA.

He has invited VA Secretary Doug Collins to the first shadow hearing on Wednesday, April 2^nd along with other stakeholders to examine the Administration’s mass firings and their impacts on veterans.

“Congress has an urgent oversight role in this moment of crisis for veterans. Now more than ever, we need to sound the alarm and hear directly from the veterans and VA employees impacted by Musk-Trump’s heartless and heartbreaking cuts, freezes, and firings. That’s why I will be standing up a series of shadow hearings with my fellow Democratic Committee members to ensure we are highlighting the human, real-life impacts and harm caused by this Administration’s malign directives. We have a responsibility to bring to light the impact of Musk-Trump’s disastrous and disgraceful cuts. Hearing from veterans and impacted stakeholders firsthand is the first step toward holding this Administration accountable for their reckless and lawless directives,” said Blumenthal.

Blumenthal and the Committee Democrats will invite veterans, stakeholders, and labor partners as witnesses, and will open participation to both Democrat and Republican Senators. Additional shadow hearing dates and topics will follow.

Blumenthal and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Democrats are leading the effort to push back against the Trump Administration’s mass firings and cuts at VA. Earlier this month, Blumenthal and 21 of his Democratic colleagues introduced the Putting Veterans First Act—comprehensive legislation to protect veterans, military spouses, and VA employees indiscriminately targeted in the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) cuts at VA and across the federal government.

Among its many provisions, Blumenthal’s Putting Veterans First Act would:

• Reinstate all fired veterans, military spouses, survivors, caregivers and members of the Guard and Reserve immediately with full back pay and benefits;
• Prevent that same group from being included in future mass terminations and provide them additional due process protections;
• Determine the financial impact of DOGE’s reckless cancellation of contracts providing critical care and services to veterans;
• Prohibit DOGE from accessing veterans’ private data;
• Require VA to certify to Congress that for each removal of an employee from the Department under Reduction in Force efforts, the move will not impact delivery of care or benefits of veterans. This provision was drafted in direct response to VA’s disastrous plan to cut more than 80,000 employees, leaked in a damning internal memo—which VA Secretary Collins continues to claim will have no impact on care and benefits, despite providing no evidence to support his claims; and
• Provide critical mental health care for former and current civil servants.

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