Last week, my father died as a result of his exposure to Agent Orange in the Vietnam War. My dad would often tell us stories of his military service at the dinner table — about fixing the planes that sprayed Agent Orange, sometimes leaving him drenched in the chemical. My brother followed in his footsteps to also enlist, serving in the first Iraq War.
My father first got cancer when I was about 9 years old. It was scary, and something he had to face three times, which we learned was related to his service. I was so grateful for all he did to protect our safety and security, while angry that he was left to battle cancer because of it.
Each time my dad was faced with cancer, he would not have survived without the support and health care provided by Veterans Affairs. The care he got through his VA benefits meant my dad could marry my brother and his wife, see all three of his children have children of their own, and that we got to see him grow old. Those are years that he got to see his grandkids grow up, be there for Thanksgiving and Christmas, celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary, and enjoy decades more of enjoying life. Over the years, the impacts of Agent Orange and the related cancer treatment also meant his heart, lungs and kidneys started to fail him. At this point I can’t even count how many times the VA has saved my dad’s life, not to mention how our family avoided financial ruin because all costs of care were covered. I will forever have a place in my heart for the VA for giving him, and our family, that extra time.
That’s why I was horrified when I learned that the current federal administration plans to make deep cuts at the Department of Veterans Affairs, directly putting veterans like my dad in danger — veterans exposed to toxic chemicals like Agent Orange or burn pits. Now, I am not only the daughter and sister of veterans, but I also serve as chair of the Assembly Military and Veterans Affairs Committee and as an assemblywoman representing the Santa Clarita Valley where we are so fortunate to have a large veteran community. Given my duty to serve and my personal experience, these are the kind of harmful and dangerous cuts that I simply can not stand silently and watch as the federal administration cuts vital services for veterans.
Let’s be clear: Cutting 80,000 staff at the VA means cutting services and health care for millions of veterans across the country — including our community. There’s no way around it. Such deep cuts to the department’s workforce threatens veteran lives. Period. Additionally, this reckless action means thousands of veterans are losing their jobs because 27% of the VA’s workforce are veterans themselves. Veterans and their families stand to lose access to vital and life-saving services like health care, mental health access, and the ability to speak to someone at the Veterans Crisis Hotline.
After veterans suffering from the health impacts of burn pits fought for years to have access to care and support from the VA, they finally got coverage provided through the PACT Act, signed into law in 2022. With the influx of so many younger veterans as new patients, this meant the VA needed to increase staff, and they still faced a backlog to support this surge. To cut staff just a couple of years later is a slap in the face of those veterans who fought for their right to care after sacrificing so much for our country.
Early cuts to the VA have already had a huge impact to veterans across the country, so much so that even Republicans who have, until now, been allies of the administration have expressed deep concern. Sen. Lindsey Graham said, “It’s political malpractice not to consult Congress if that’s what you intend to do.”
And, Republican Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins said, “We have an obligation to our veterans, and these mass firings undermine that obligation.”
Similarly, congressional Democrats have expressed outrage at the early and proposed continued cuts to the VA, with Sen. Richard Blumenthal saying the cuts would put “private sector profits over veterans’ care.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the cuts would lead to “longer wait times, fewer appointments, less health care service for our veterans.”
The War Horse, an award-winning nonprofit newsroom educating the public on military service, spoke with eight current employees who work directly with veterans in eight different states, as well as one employee who was among the workers already fired.
Due to the cuts already made at the VA, it has been reported that transportation for disabled veterans and suicide prevention trainings have been cancelled and that therapy groups for veterans who had experienced trauma from discrimination have been cut. An Army veteran near Hampton, Virginia, reported that her annual mammogram last month was canceled because of a staffing shortage, and another said he was told he could “no longer drive the five minutes in my golf cart to my hearing aids specialist,” and instead had to travel to a VA clinic 45 minutes away. And multiple mental health providers talked about the difficulties of worrying about losing their jobs while trying to provide care to patients nervous about the exact same thing.
It is unconscionable that this administration would put the very people who risked their lives to protect us unnecessarily in harm’s way, when what they should be able to rely on is our protection and support. These cuts will have irreversible, widespread, and deep impacts on the people who deserve support from our government the most.
As we continue to see cuts to the VA threatened, I am calling on the federal administration to swiftly reconsider these cuts and leading solutions in California to support and protect veterans. I will fight every day to ensure our veterans and their families have the services they need to thrive, just like my dad did.
Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, represents the 40th Assembly District, which includes most of the Santa Clarita Valley in addition to the northwest San Fernando Valley. “Democratic Voices” appears Tuesdays and rotates among local Democrats.
