Senate Republicans Block Blumenthal, Senate Democrats' Resolution Condemning Trump Administration's Mass Terminations of VA Employees, Veterans

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Ahead of President Trump’s Joint Address to Congress and in light of the President’s egregious attempts to slash the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and a group of his Democratic colleagues took to the Senate floor today to ask for unanimous consent to pass a resolution condemning the mass terminations of employees serving veterans and their families at VA and calling for those jobs to be reinstated. The resolution’s passage was blocked by Senate Republicans.

“Musk and Trump have already upended the lives of so many—the thousands of veterans, casually discarded, illegally fired without notice or justification, all for cheap headlines. The impacts in real life are undeniable, and stories from newspapers, from broadcast media, from all kinds of outlets, tell the story of those real-life impacts,” said Blumenthal. “But I know my colleagues are hearing from their constituents about the mental health services that are delayed, about the surgeries that can't be provided, about the Veterans Crisis Line, serving veterans who may be taking their own lives, all reduced. These real-life impacts are undeniable, and we're talking about the people who make sure that veterans have transportation to those appointments, who assist with benefits claims, who ensure that the VA hospitals are maintained, and that they are safe, who clean operating rooms and sterilize instruments in between procedures. It may not be the surgeon who's fired, but the surgeon walking into the operating room needs a staff and a team to assist him, needs the housekeeping staff to make sure that it's clean. These people have dedicated their careers to serving veterans and their nation, and all have been indiscriminately and illegally terminated.”

Blumenthal highlighted the stories of terminated VA employees: “[A] US Air Force veteran with more than 30 years of military service who retired from a lifetime of dedicated service to his country in November. And immediately rededicated himself to serving his fellow veterans at the Department of Veterans Affairs. He started work on January 13^th and he was illegally terminated barely one month later. He’s the sole [bread] winner of his family. And Tony Ruiz, a disabled Army veteran. Until he was illegally terminated he worked at the [Veterans] Benefits Administration to assist veterans with their benefits claim. He was cut just 10 days before his probationary period ended. He was serving in his dream job.”

Over the last month, the Trump Administration has illegally terminated 2,400 VA employees critical to serving veterans, including a substantial number of veterans and military spouses. Veterans make up more than 25 percent of VA’s workforce.

Underscoring the importance of lawmakers standing with veterans and VA employees ahead of the President’s Joint Address: “You know tonight the President is going to speak to members of both the House and the Senate and he’s going to make a lot of claims, many of them untethered in any way to the facts. But if he does nothing else, what I’d like to see him do is show some respect for our veterans. He’s called them suckers and losers. They’ve been called swamp creatures or deep-staters by members of this Administration. And part of the mindset here that’s responsible for these firings is that disrespect for our veterans.” Blumenthal emphasized that Trump would soon be directly addressing terminated VA and federal veteran employees, in addition to former VA Inspector General Michael Missal who Trump illegally fired, attending the Joint Address at the invite of Senate Democrats.

Blumenthal concluded, “[V]eterans and other courageous former members of our armed forces are going to be with us tonight and they will be speaking out. They will be sharing their stories. They are not faceless bureaucrats. They are not suckers. They are not losers. They are hardworking public servants who have willingly sacrificed everything for this country, willing to give even their lives. And now have rededicated themselves to continue their service now that their military time is complete.”

The Trump Administration’s continued mass terminations of VA employees comes at a time when VA faces critical staffing shortages and increased demand for its services, such as urgently needed mental health care to reduce the veteran suicide rate. In addition, many of these terminated employees had exemplary performance records and multiple years of work experience in government service.

Senate Democrats have strongly pushed back against the Trump Administration’s mass terminations of VA employees and veterans, who make up approximately 30 percent of the federal workforce. Last week, Blumenthal and Senate Democrats called on President Donald Trump to cease his attack on our nation’s heroes and immediately reinstate all veterans who have been illegally fired in his Administration’s mass terminations of federal employees with their full back pay and benefits. Last month, Ranking Member Blumenthal also led a group of 35 Democratic Senators calling on VA Secretary Doug Collins to immediately reinstate every VA employee illegally and indiscriminately terminated.

The full transcript of Senator Blumenthal’s opening remarks are copied below and a video can be found here. Link to the resolution text can be found here.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT): Thank you, Mr. President. Tragically and totally unnecessarily, what we are seeing in real-time is an assault on the veterans of America. It's an assault that is part of a campaign by Elon Musk, who's been empowered by President Trump, supposedly to eliminate waste in our federal government. Instead of eliminating waste, Elon Musk is laying waste to the Department of Veterans Affairs, and it is unfolding in real time with real-life impacts on our veterans. Not only is he firing veterans at the VA—many of the 2,400 already terminated are veterans, one-third of them—but across agencies in the United States government, where 30,000 members of the federal workforce have been indiscriminately terminated. 30% of them are veterans as well. Almost 50% of everybody in the Department of Defense who has been fired, they're veterans. And they may be probationary employees, promoted to a position where they are in probationary status, because they've done such a great job. They're being fired. Younger members of the federal workforce, there for up to two years—the future of our civil service. They're fired. And so many of them are veterans who have worn the uniform, served, and sacrificed and want to continue to benefit the country with the skills and dedication that they've demonstrated as members of our United States Armed Forces.

Public service has long been a preferred path for military affiliated populations. Whether it’s in our local police force or as emergency medical personnel, joining the federal workforce has enabled them to continue serving our country while offering competitive wages, benefits, and much-needed stability for them as veterans, and tremendous benefits for taxpayers. And now, what Elon Musk is doing, relying on his tech bros and his algorithm and his AI formulas, is to cut across the board, leaving those veterans as disposable trash or roadkill in his campaign to eliminate waste. Well, let me tell you, Elon Musk, if you were serious about eliminating waste, you wouldn’t have fired the Inspectors General of these agencies, who are the watchdogs. They have records of eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse. Exhibit A: Michael Missal, the Inspector General of the VA, hired and appointed first by President Obama, he served under President Trump for four years, then under President Biden. He has ruffled feathers of Republican and Democratic Administrations, because he's uncovered waste and fraud in a very bipartisan way, and he regards his job as bipartisan. He would be the one to eliminate waste, not with a meat axe, but with a scalpel.

I wish my colleagues had been in the hearing today, joint hearing of the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, to hear commander Al Lipphardt of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the VFW—a really heroic Vietnam veteran, injured there, shrapnel in his arm, and as he told us, the surgeon removed the shrapnel piece by piece, didn't cut off his arm. That's the approach that we need, as he said, in eliminating waste. Not cutting off arms or legs, but removing the waste carefully, deliberately, cautiously.

Among the illegally terminated—and I should stress, illegally terminated—2400 VA employees, many of them veterans themselves, members of the Guard or Reserves now, caregivers, military spouses. In the DOD, many of them, 45% former veterans. And the overall impact will be disastrous on the 640,000 veterans who are public servants.

Musk and Trump have already upended the lives of so many—the thousands of veterans, casually discarded, illegally fired without notice or justification, all for cheap headlines. The impacts in real life are undeniable, and stories from newspapers, from broadcast media, from all kinds of outlets, tell the story of those real-life impacts. But I know my colleagues are hearing from their constituents about the mental health services that are delayed, about the surgeries that can't be provided, about the Veterans Crisis Line, serving veterans who may be taking their own lives, all reduced. These real-life impacts are undeniable, and we're talking about the people who make sure that veterans have transportation to those appointments, who assist with benefits claims, who ensure that the VA hospitals are maintained, and that they are safe, who clean operating rooms and sterilize instruments in between procedures. It may not be the surgeon who's fired, but the surgeon walking into the operating room needs a staff and a team to assist him, needs the housekeeping staff to make sure that it's clean. These people have dedicated their careers to serving veterans and their nation, and all have been indiscriminately and illegally terminated.

These short headlines tell a story, and so does this visual, from Springfield, Massachusetts. “Due to abrupt and unplanned staff shortages, we are not able to greet you at this time. If you have a scheduled appointment, your counselor will be out to get you in time of your appointment. If you are here for any other reason, please call and leave a message, and a staff member will return your call,” we apologize, “We apologize for any inconvenience and impact on your care.” Donald Trump and Elon Musk owe veterans an apology. Right now, Elon Musk is giving veterans the middle finger. Veterans won't stand for it.

And so, Mr. President, I'm introducing a resolution today and asking that we approve it, to uphold the contract, to uphold the promise, to uphold the commitment we make to our veterans when they raise their right hand and promise to serve and sacrifice, even at the risk of dying. I'm joined by Senators Hirono, Slotkin, Lujan, Murray, Durbin, Whitehouse, Warnock, Klobuchar, Shaheen, Kaine, Rosen, Cortez Masto, Alsobrooks, Kelly, Warren, Hassan, Schiff, Baldwin, Duckworth, Gallego, Peters, Van Hollen, Sanders, Booker, Wyden, Merkley, Warner, Smith, Padilla, Heinrich, Schatz, and Hickenlooper in this effort. I wish, I really wish it were bipartisan, because veterans' issues have been bipartisan. I've worked with veterans, including the Chairman, whom I respect, Senator Moran, on these issues.

This resolution acknowledges that veterans who make up less than 7% of Americans, but approximately 30% of public servants, have been really disrespected and disserved in just these weeks, with such destructive and repugnant effect on them, on veterans they serve, and on American values. Our nation and they deserve better. And so, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 105, which is at the desk. Further, 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.

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