TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Protesters stood outside the VA Hospital on Tucson's Southside to take a stand against the cuts that have been made in the Department of Veterans Affairs.
DOGE has made cuts to 2400 jobs, and the plan is to cut over 80,000 more.
“And if they cut the VA benefits, there are millions of us who will lose their lives," said Dan Kelly. As a veteran dealing with the effects of Agent Orange and other chemicals, he said his life has been saved three times at the VA Hospital.
Veteran Affairs Secretary Doug Collins shared a video on X addressing future cuts. He defended the job cuts, but denied that they would impact veteran benefits or health care.
Still, advocates argued that the VA is already strained and they've seen the impacts cuts have had before.
“Any cuts to our system will result in delayed care and substandard care,” said Charles Weaver.
Many criticized DOGE and Elon Musk at the rally. Dan Kelly expressed his frustration that brought him to tears.
“We put our trust in this nation. We served it in good faith. For God's sake, we're not asking for a hand-out, we're asking for what's promised.”
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Reyna Preciado is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2022 after graduating Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Reyna by emailing reyna.preciado@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, or Twitter.
