In Tacoma, Murray Meets with Veterans as Trump Undermines VA, Highlights Cost of War and Calls Again for End to War with Iran

Murray, who was an outspoken opponent of the Iraq War, also clashed with the Bush administration over their failure to properly invest in VA care for the influx of Iraq war veterans-today she is issuing a similar warning, highlighting how politicians like Donald Trump are happy to send Americans off to war, but are indifferent to the cost of war when our servicemembers come home

ICYMI: At Senate Veterans' Affairs Hearing, Murray Slams Trump for Indifference to Cost of War

NYT: Despite Promises, Veterans Affairs Department Cut Thousands of Roles for Doctors and Nurses

***PHOTOS AND B-ROLL HERE***

Tacoma, WA - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and senior member and former chair of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, held a roundtable discussion with local veterans, particularly as the Trump administration undermines VA by cutting critical open roles for VA health care workers. Senator Murray also called to end the war with Iran, warning about the cost of war and reiterating that the Trump administration has no plan to expand VA care should the President deploy troops on the ground, something he has explicitly refused to rule out.

Murray was joined by Anders Ibsen, Mayor of Tacoma; Ryan Mello, Pierce County Executive; Robert Sheetz, Manager of Pierce County Veterans Program; Paul Nance, President of AFGE Local 498 (American Lake VA), and a veteran; Charolette Anderson, Vice President of AFGE Local 498 (American Lake VA), and a veteran; Erin Cooper, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Program Manager for the SSG Fox Grant at NineLine Veteran Services, and a veteran; Eric Ballentine, Program manager of Minority Veterans of America, and a veteran; and Dr. Nichole Ayres, Clinic Director at The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Valley Cities.

"Unfortunately, under this President, some of the challenges at VA are painfully obvious. From day one, the Trump administration has tried to push out workers at every single agency and VA was no exception. Since Trump took office, VA is down 25,000 workers. You can't just push out that many people and not expect an impact on the quality of care. VA has a lot of open roles after all of this-but instead of filling them, the Trump Administration plans to eliminate as many as 35,000 health care jobs at VA. That is so alarming to me, and I'm pushing back," said Senator Murray. "We have to talk about Trump's war of choice in Iran, and what that means for VA. It is clear Trump has no long-term plan for the war. And, unfortunately, I doubt he has a plan for what happens as servicemembers come back, and our VA system-already strained-is stretched even further to care for an influx of wounded veterans. There is a huge cost to war-and it's not just the cost of missiles. There is the sacrifice our veterans make, and the obligation we have to get them the care they need and deserve. I don't support shoveling billions at Trump's war, but I will always fight for our veterans. I won't let his short-sightedness shortchange care for our veterans."

Pierce County is home to more than 105,000 veterans or 11.4% of the County's total population. Of those, approximately 34,000 receive disability compensation from the VA for service-related injuries.

Recent reporting exposed the Trump administration's plan to eliminate as many as 35,000 health care jobs at VA in December, including unfilled positions for doctors, nurses, and support staff. In addition, VA already lost more than 30,000 employees between January and September last year as a result of President Trump and VA Secretary Collins' hiring freeze, deferred resignations, early retirements, and the significant number of VA staff who have quit due to Trump and Collins' punitive workforce policies.

Senator Murray was the first woman to join the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee and the first woman to chair the Committee-as the daughter of a World War II veteran, supporting veterans and their families has always been an important priority for her. Senator Murray has been outspoken in standing up for veterans, VA employees, and VA researchers against the Trumps administration's indiscriminate mass layoffs that will undermine critical services our nation's veterans rely on every day. Last January, Murray called on President Trump to exempt all VA employees from the hiring freeze issued as part of his Day One Executive Orders. Senator Murray, was among the first to raise the alarm about the layoffs of VA researchers and called on President Trump to immediately reverse the firings. She pressed VA Deputy Secretary nominee Dr. Paul Lawrence on the firings of VA researchers at the hearing on his nomination, and held multiple press conferences with VA employees and veterans in Washington state who were abruptly laid off for no reason as part of the Trump administration's mass firings at VA. Senator Murray also released a report on how Trump's mass firings at VA will hurt veterans in Washington state. Last year, Senator Murray also forcefully denounced the Trump administration's initial plan to fire 80,000 employees at VA. Toward the end of last year, Senator Murray released a video slamming the Trump administration's new plan not to fill thousands of open positions at VA, and demanding answers.

Recently, Senator Murray slammed Trump and Republicans at a hearing for abandoning veterans who rely on SNAP, called on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate how Republicans' health care-cutting agenda will affect veterans and their families, and demanded answers on the Trump administration's plans to eliminate as many as 35,000 jobs at VA. Senator Murray also slammed Trump at a hearing earlier this month for his indifference to the real cost of war with Iran. Senator Murray has also been leading the charge against the Trump administration for implementing a near-total abortion ban at VA, banning abortion care for veterans and their dependents-even when a woman's health is in danger, or the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest.

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