Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins said it was "disturbing" that some Democrats viewed the suffering of Americans, including veterans, as "leverage" during the recent government shutdown.
Speaking Wednesday morning on Newsmax's "Wake Up America," Collins criticized congressional Democrats for what he called a political strategy that placed ordinary Americans in the crossfire.
"Look, sometimes a few days, make your point, move on," Collins said, describing an ideal shutdown. "This one drug on completely, and it was really disturbing what I was hearing from many of the Democratic congressmen and senators when they said the pain of the American people, and I take that as veterans as well, was their leverage."
Collins, a Georgia native who previously served his home state as a U.S. congressman, said he was deeply troubled by how Democrat lawmakers handled negotiations, calling it one of the most unsettling dynamics he has witnessed during a shutdown.
"That probably was one of the most disturbing things out of this shutdown that I've really never heard before from Republicans or Democrats in any previous shutdown," he added. "It just showed the vitriol that was really forced at the Trump administration over this."
The deal to reopen the government ultimately provided the VA with full funding through the end of the next fiscal year — a move Collins welcomed as a relief for the department and its employees.
"It takes us off the table, and that's a good thing," he said. "So, I'm glad to see that we're going to be fully funded through September, and my hope is that they get this all squared away so that the government doesn't have to do this again."
Still, Collins criticized Congress for delaying the funding measure, and shutting down, in the first place.
"The sad part about this, though, is this bill was basically ready to be passed in September, along with the other two that they actually had," he said. "But we had to go through and put veterans at risk and veterans' interests aside, and have, really, 37,000 plus of my employees go without paychecks as they try to navigate what has become a circus on Capitol Hill."
Commenting on the Veterans Day ceremony held Tuesday at Arlington National Cemetery, Collins said he was proud the department prioritized honoring those who served.
"Maintaining our Veterans Day tradition of being at Arlington ... it's something that I'm glad we continued," he said. "At the end of the day, all these freedoms we talk about ... they're brought on by the fact that the military is there and that people across our country are willing to raise their hand and say, 'I'm willing to serve.'"
Collins added that the annual ceremony was not just about remembrance, but about setting an example.
"It's very important to say thank you for those that are willing, because it also sets a precedent for those coming up," he said. "They need to see that this country honors its veterans, those who are willing to leave their homes and go serve."
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