TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly criticized proposed Department of Veterans Affairs staffing cuts during a town hall Monday, saying they threaten the care and benefits veterans have earned.
Kelly took questions from a group of local veterans just weeks after a leaked Trump administration memo instructed VA administrators to begin reorganizing the department to reflect 2019 staffing levels — potentially eliminating tens of thousands of positions.
“We’re hearing about 80,000 people being cut from the VA,” said retired Air Force veteran Fred Miclon. “This is the wrong time I feel, to be cutting back benefits and care that veterans need.”
The event, held at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 549 near the intersection of Old Spanish Trail and Broadway, highlighted growing concerns from veterans about the future of services they rely on.
One audience member recounted the story of a man who “took a lower-level job so he could be at home with his wife who’s suffering from cancer — and he got canned!”
In response, Kelly reaffirmed his support for VA workers and introduced legislation aimed at protecting them.
“My view is the government should have a sacred pact with veterans,” Kelly said. “People that are willing to go out there and give their lives for our country.”
Kelly is co-sponsoring a piece of legislation called the Protect Veterans Jobs Act, which aims to prevent layoffs and reinstate recently terminated employees, many of whom work directly with veterans on medical and mental health care.
“We’re struggling, because the administration is firing VA employees that provide these kind of services,” he said.
Kelly pointed to how VA staff are critical in treating physical injuries and addressing mental health needs, including reducing veteran suicide rates.
“We need people to do those jobs to provide them with this treatment that we promised them,” Kelly added. “So my office, Ruben Gallego’s office — we’re gonna keep pushing on this administration to not do dumb things and get rid of VA health care workers.”
Veterans make up more than 7% of Arizona’s adult population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and many rely on the VA’s Southern Arizona Health Care System in Tucson.
A spokesperson for Kelly said the senator plans to hold multiple town halls in the coming weeks on various issues impacting Arizonans.
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Eddie Celaya is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born in Tucson and raised in the Phoenix area, Eddie is a life-long Arizonan and graduate of the University of Arizona who loves the desert and mountains and hates the cold. Previously, Eddie worked in print media at the Arizona Daily Star. Share your story ideas with Eddie at edward.celaya@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook or Instagram.
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