Chicago veterans say Trump administration's planned cuts to VA will have deep impact
The Trump administration has plans to cut upwards of 80,000 jobs from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Chicago veterans are already feeling an impact. Ald. Matt O'Shea (19th) has been holding Veterans Resource events at his office for a couple of years, but the event on Wednesday was to be the last —at least for the time being — because of staffing issues at the VA.
Air Force veteran Joanne Cullina was at the event at O'Shea's office, and was appalled at the news that the Trump administration plans to cut to 80,000 VA employees.
"We're America. We're supposedly trying to make America great again," she said. "This isn't the way to do it."
Cullina said such cuts would have far-reaching deleterious effects.
"Floored," she said. I mean, that includes the hospitals too. So we're pulling healthcare away from veterans."
O'Shea said for the past two years, he has opened his doors to help military veterans and their families with disability and employment concerns, as well as financial assistance and health care. A representative from the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center comes once a month on Wednesdays for four hours and answers any questions they may have.
But now, that has been put on pause.
"They go to more than a dozen ward offices across the city providing this very same assistance. It's really gotten popular, and it's taken advantage of," said O'Shea. "We were scrambling trying to come up with a solution."
O'Shea said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle confirmed to him moments before his interview with CBS News Chicago that the Veterans Assistance Commission of Cook County is going to step in and help where it can.
"This is a huge undertaking, but President Preckwinkle made it clear they want to do everything they can to help our veterans," O'Shea said.
Meanwhile, Cullina said the planned cuts to the VA will impact many people who have supported President Trump.
"You need to think twice about what's going on, and who does it really impact — because it impacts the people who put him in office," said Cullina.
Last week, the White House said it wanted to cut $2 billion in VA contracts, which would affect services such as cancer care.
U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (R-Illinois), who chairs the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, defended the job cuts. He released the following statement:
"I know President Trump shares my desire to provide veterans and their families with the best possible services for the best dollar. When we're talking about downsizing a federal bureaucracy that's grown too large, we need to make sure the end goal is streamlining access without sacrificing benefits and quality of care. That's especially important with an agency like the VA. I've been in contact with VA Secretary Doug Collins and will work with the administration to protect the interests of our veterans, regardless of how, or whether, this plan evolves."
