Senator Gallego (D-AZ) isn't standing for the planned cuts to the Phoenix VA, and he's got backup. Members of Arizona's Congressional delegation have penned a sharp letter addressed to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, urging a halt to what they view as harmful reductions. As Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), along with Representatives Greg Stanton (AZ-04) and Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03) sign on, one thing is clear: they mean business for Arizona's vets.
The bones of the issue are these: The VA's staffing shake-up could slice away 15% of its personnel, around 800 employees, across the board. Health care providers and support staff aren't safe from the scythe. The delegation's letter pulls no punches, highlighting that cuts like these could spell longer waits and compromised care—a bitter pill for veterans to swallow. "This will lead to delays in care that will hurt Arizona veterans and erode their trust in their care," the lawmakers write, as reported by the Senate Office.
It's not just about numbers either. The delegation draws from previous findings by the Office of Inspector General (OIG), underscoring how depleted personnel levels have already dragged down care quality and hiked up those darn wait times. It's not a look anyone's after—least of all those tasked with caring for our nation's veterans.
They point to the Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, a major piece of bipartisan legislation passed last year that expanded VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances. Rolling back VA staffing levels to pre-2019 numbers isn’t just a bureaucratic setback—it threatens to undermine care for more than 9,000 Arizona veterans who have enrolled for VA services under the PACT Act.
