WASHINGTON — Doug Collins, the secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, defended the mass firing of VA workers last month as the Trump administration’s solution to making the agency more accountable and responsive to veterans.
Collins, who has served as VA secretary for four weeks, also blamed lawmakers for making the VA a “punching bag” for criticism while pouring billions of dollars into the agency without making meaningful improvements.
“The union bosses, legacy media, even members of Congress who have complained for years about the VA not being efficient are now complaining when we’re actually trying to provide solutions,” he said Monday in an interview about the layoffs of new VA workers in February.
Collins said publicity over the layoffs is failing to put into context the reason for them. The workforce reductions ordered by President Donald Trump are a response to voters who demanded “generational change in Washington, D.C.”
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