[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – At a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing today focused on examining mental health care at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal stressed the harmful impact the Trump Administration’s cuts and planned firings of 83,000 VA employees will have on delivery of veterans’ mental health care, its workforce, and ongoing efforts to reduce veterans suicide rates.

“The rate of veteran suicide—17.6 a day—is absolutely intolerable,” said Blumenthal during his opening. “…[W]e all know even before the Trump Administration’s crusade against veterans, VA projected a 59 percent increase in inpatient and outpatient mental health care demand in coming years. The Department was already suffering from critical mental health staffing shortages…In his confirmation hearing, the Secretary claimed suicide prevention was a priority. But instead of bolstering access to life-saving mental health, he has fired thousands of critical employees—including Veterans Crisis Line Employees.”

Blumenthal cited the real life impacts already happening from Collins’ cuts, including employee assistance programs and mental health support contracts for the VA workforce being cancelled. He also noted the firings of world-class researchers studying mental health and substance use disorders.

Blumenthal emphasized the failure of this Administration and Secretary Collins to give Congress any rationale for their cuts and planned 83,000 firings at VA, or how the Administration will prevent impacts to mental health care: “We have to make sure the Administration answers our questions…We know from this Committee…that outreach is essential to bring veterans into mental health [services]. We can’t rely only on veterans calling the Crisis Line or calling VA facilities. There has to be outreach. 10 of those 17 per day veterans taking their own lives have had no contact with VA. If we can reach more, we can save more. If we fire counselors and others doing outreach, it will cripple efforts to save veterans from suicide, including the [Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon] Fox Grant Program.”

During his questioning of VA’s acting head of clinical services Dr. Thomas O’Toole, Blumenthal further stressed how Collins and Trump’s 83,000 firings will worsen existing mental health staffing shortages at VA, amid increasing demand for care by veterans: “The fact is there are challenges in recruitment. And those challenges in recruitment are deeply and dramatically aggravated when the prospect of firing 83,000 employees is there. Why go to work for an institution that about to fire probationary employees—the newest among them—when there’s opportunities in the private sector that pay more?”

Dr. O’Toole later told the Committee he has not seen or been provided with any analysis of how firing 83,000 VA employees will affect veterans care—despite serving as VA’s Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Health for Clinical Services. He also confirmed has not been asked by the Trump Administration to provide any analysis of how firing these employees could impact VA care.

The full text of Blumenthal’s opening is copied below and a video link is available here.

Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT): Thank you Mr. Chairman, thank you for convening this hearing on this critically important topic. We’re here today to discuss the issue of veterans’ mental health, including their access to care from a safe, reliable provider—a safe, reliable provider who has the expertise and trust to provide the best possible care for each individual veteran. I welcome our colleague Senator Warner to testify on behalf of the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Grant Program. It’s been a game changer for so many veterans. It’s geared toward meeting veterans where they are, providing access to services from trusted community partners and targeting underserved communities. My hope is we’ll have bipartisan support for reauthorizing the Fox Grant Program.

And we will have bipartisan consensus on a couple of really essential points. The rate of veterans suicide. 17.6 a day is absolutely intolerable. The level of services to veterans for mental health is woefully lacking. The efforts underway to address the lack of mental health are completely inadequate. My bill on today’s agenda, the BRAVE Act, reauthorizes the Fox program, but it goes farther. And I hope we’ll have bipartisan to ensure not only that this program, but others, to address these issues are fulfilled.

The fact is, the Veterans Crisis Line has seen a dramatic impact in call volume, largely from veterans who were either terminated from the federal workforce, or who are concerned about losing their benefits, or both. And, at a time where veterans are uniquely anxious and apprehensive and need our support the most, we’re seeing the Trump/Musk/Collins conglomerate slashing and trashing their way through the federal government. Employee assistance programs and mental health support contracts for the VA workforce have been cancelled. Some have been reinstated, but not before employees were left high and dry and forced to choose between paying out of pocket or cancelling their appointments due to contract cancellation. World class researchers studying mental health and substance use disorders are among the ones who have been terminated. It makes no sense, it’s nonsensical. It is shameful and disgraceful.

On the issue of privacy, a recent memo obtained by NPR recommended VA mental health providers tell their patients, “While I will do my utmost to maintain your privacy, I cannot guarantee complete confidentiality.” They’re telling veterans they can’t maintain privacy or confidentially due to space limitations caused by a rushed, and reckless return to office mandate. Again, disgraceful, shameful.

Concerns about privacy will destroy the hard-won trust VA has spent decades building. After this memo was disclosed, VA backtracked to say it was temporarily delaying its return to office requirements for tele-mental health providers. I want to know, these providers haven’t been exempted from the return to office mandate. The facilities have simply been asked to confirm their return to office spaces are private.

This strategy of, “cut first, plan later;” “fire first, analyze later;” “terminate, cut, freeze, ask questions later;” apparently is continuing. This failure of leadership is at the expense of veterans, and we have yet to hear, in this Committee, from the Secretary of the VA despite my repeated requests for him to tell us what the rationale and reason is for these massive cuts and firings.

So, we all know that even before the Trump Administration’s crusade against veterans, the VA projected a 59% increase in in-patient and out-patient mental healthcare demand in the coming years. 59% increase. The department was already suffering from critical mental health staffing shortages. There were already 40,000 open positions in the VA, some of them for mental health professionals. In his confirmation hearing, the Secretary claimed suicide prevention was a priority. But instead of bolstering access to life-saving mental health, he’s fired thousands of critical employees, including Veterans Crisis Line employees. Some have been reinstated, others have found new employment. That’s understandable because they have bills to pay. They have lives to live, and waiting for the Administration to correct yet another unforced error can’t be their burden. We have to make sure that the Administration answers our question, our responsibility as oversight and scrutiny. And to prevent the firing of another 83,000 VA employees over the coming months.

We know from this Committee, we’ve all been on it for a while, that outreach is essential to bring veterans into mental health. We can’t rely only on veterans calling the Crisis Line or coming to VA facilities, there has to be outreach. 10 of those 17 per day average veterans taking their own lives, 10 of them have had no contact with the VA. If we reach more, we can save more. If we fire the counselors and others who are doing outreach, it will cripple efforts to save veterans from suicide, including the Fox program.

So, while we’re here today, I hope to hear from our witnesses about the importance of outreach and how it can be bolstered and strengthened.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.