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Yesterday on the Senate Floor: Resolutions Introduced & Shot Down

In case you missed it yesterday afternoon, key members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (SVAC) took to the Senate floor to ask for unanimous consent to pass resolutions related to veterans and the recent federal government layoffs.

KEY REMARKS FROM THE FLOOR

• SVAC Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal condemned actions by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, claiming they had severely harmed veterans’ health care by causing mass layoffs at the VA. He stated that 2,400 employees had already been terminated, with 83,000 more facing job cuts, despite the VA projecting a 59% increase in demand for mental health services. He argued that this approach would devastate the VA’s ability to meet veterans’ needs and accused the pair of slashing the workforce to fund tax cuts for the wealthy. Ranking Member Blumenthal introduced a resolution calling for the restoration of the VA workforce and asked for unanimous consent to pass it.

• SVAC Chairman Jerry Moran rose in opposition to the resolution. He acknowledged the VA’s need for reform and the importance of fulfilling promises made to veterans. He noted persistent failures within the VA system and highlighted bipartisan efforts to improve services such as suicide prevention, telemedicine, and support for toxic exposure through legislation like the PACT Act and Elizabeth Dole Act. He intended to introduce his own resolution instead.

• SVAC Ranking Member Blumenthal responded to the objection by affirming bipartisan common ground but stressed that urgent action was needed. He reiterated that the VA was in crisis and that the Trump-Musk cuts were actively harming veterans. He criticized the lack of immediate measures in Chairman Moran’s resolution and urged the Senate not to accept business as usual amid such drastic impacts.

• Chairman Moran introduced his resolution, which focused on evaluating and adjusting the VA workforce and improving accountability and efficiency. He stated that the VA currently had 1,500 fewer employees than at the beginning of the year and emphasized the need for strategic planning.

• Ranking Member Blumenthal rejected the proposal and cited statistics showing VA improvements under previous leadership. He praised collective bargaining and union efforts in the VA, calling for a unified resolution reflecting the current crisis.

• Sen. Bernie Sanders strongly opposed the plan to lay off 83,000 VA employees, arguing that such cuts would only worsen care for veterans. He defended the VA’s overall performance and warned that mass layoffs would be a step toward privatization, which he claimed Musk supported. Sen. Sanders cited the deep concern over the proposed cuts by major veterans organizations like the VFW and DAV. He underscored the importance of improving the VA, not dismantling it, and requested unanimous consent to pass his own resolution opposing the layoffs.

• Sen. Tommy Tuberville objected to Sen. Sanders’ resolution, asserting that President Trump had a mandate to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in government agencies, including the VA. He criticized the Biden administration for increasing the VA workforce without improving outcomes. He supported cutting non-essential roles and argued that the resolution would hinder necessary reform. Sen. Tuberville claimed that downsizing the VA bureaucracy would redirect resources toward direct care for veterans and called for better personnel rather than more personnel.

• Sen. Sanders rejected Sen. Tuberville’s argument, stating that Trump had not campaigned on firing tens of thousands of VA employees. He illustrated the existing workforce shortages and reiterated that cutting 83,000 positions would harm veterans. He urged support for his resolution as a show of respect and support for veterans.

• Sen. Tammy Duckworth denounced President Trump and Elon Musk for firing over 6,000 veterans from federal jobs, calling it a betrayal. She connected veteran job losses to the increased risk of homelessness and restated the importance of supporting veterans who chose to continue serving by working in federal agencies. She introduced a resolution to reinstate all veterans who were fired and criticized Trump for prioritizing tax cuts over veterans' welfare. Sen. Duckworth echoed the need for bipartisan support to protect and restore these jobs.

• Sen. Tim Sheehy objected to Sen. Duckworth’s resolution and claimed that there was no Democratic outcry when veterans were fired during the COVID-19 pandemic due to vaccine mandates. He pointed out that the VA’s workforce and budget had grown significantly in recent years, even as the veteran population declined. Sen. Sheehy argued that reducing the size of federal agencies was necessary to restore fiscal health and claimed that President Trump was strongly pro-veteran. He stated that veterans needed a strong and efficient government rather than unchecked bureaucratic growth.

• Sen. Duckworth clarified that VA staffing increases were due to the bipartisan PACT Act, which expanded care for veterans exposed to toxic substances. She reiterated that her resolution was about reinstating veterans fired across multiple agencies and pointed to specific examples of skilled, recently promoted employees being unfairly terminated. She criticized Musk and President Trump for wasteful spending and concluded by labeling Trump the president who had fired the most veterans in modern history.

RESOLUTION TEXT (LINKED)

• SVAC Ranking Member Blumenthal’s resolution

• SVAC Chairman Moran’s UC request (page 8)

• Sen. Sanders’ resolution

• Sen. Duckworth’s resolution

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