Doug Collins, secretary of Veterans Affairs, told Newsmax on Tuesday that reductions in department spending will not include "healthcare cuts or benefits cuts."
The VA announced last week in a memo to staff that the agency will soon "initiate Department-wide RIF [reduction in force] actions" as part of plans to reduce the workforce by as many as 80,000 workers.
"This is something that's government-wide," Collins said on "National Report." "It's not just the VA."
Collins said the VA remains focused on "getting the veterans the services and the benefits they need."
"We're not looking at healthcare cuts or benefits cuts," he said. "That has been basically the rumor, innuendo, and laugh factory coming from the Hill and from legacy media and union reps for many times now, that's not happening. We're simply looking at how do we best deliver services."
Collins added: "[President Donald] Trump was elected to make generational change in Washington, D.C., and one of those issues was dealing with the scope and size of government. So each agency has been talked about … cutting a target," which, he said, "in many agencies is 15%" of their budget.
Collins said the VA is conducting "a very thorough assessment" of agency employees, including "where are they at, and are they fulfilling the core mission of making sure that veterans are getting the care that they need, and are we doing the best organizational structure possible now."
He added that cuts "are always tough decisions, but career VA staff, senior executives, and others are going to be a part of this going forward."
"I think the big thing is here is this is not something that is being handled in a mishandled fashion. It's not being handled in a blunt instrument kind of fashion," Collins said. "It's being handled in a case-by-case basis, which all agencies should do all the time."
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Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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