Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut helped to lead a group of Democratic lawmakers on the Senate and House Veterans’ Affairs Committees that accused the Department of Veterans Affairs of ignoring their requests for assistance on behalf of veterans and their families during the federal government shutdown. Blumenthal, along with Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., sent the letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
WASHINGTON — Democratic lawmakers on the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees accused Department of Veterans Affairs leaders of “weaponizing” the federal government shutdown by ignoring their requests to assist veterans and their families in their districts.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, of Connecticut, and Rep. Mark Takano, of California — the top Democrats on their respective committees — are leading a group of lawmakers who in an Oct. 7 letter accused VA Secretary Doug Collins and other VA leaders of “artificially ending communications with Congress,” even though constituent services remain fully funded under multiyear appropriations bills.
The federal shutdown entered its 10th day Friday after the Senate for the seventh time rejected a stopgap funding bill to reopen the government through Nov. 21. The Senate adjourned early Friday and will not return until Tuesday after observing Columbus Day, a federal holiday.
More than 650,000 federal employees are furloughed, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Furloughs are mandated leaves of absence that are the result of budget problems or other operational needs.
“VA’s Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs is refusing to initiate or respond to congressional casework,” Takano said Friday. “This is a concerning departure from past precedent. During previous shutdowns, VA continued to respond to casework inquiries.”
Takano said there is “carryover funding” that enables the VA to respond to lawmakers’ requests to assist their constituents. “This administration has deliberately chosen to refuse to process veteran casework. Republicans are once again treating veterans as political pawns,” Takano said.
Takano also accused VA leadership of continuing to communicate with the Republican majority staff on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee while ceasing communications with the Democratic minority staff.
Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., who is chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said he believes Collins and other VA leaders are “trying to do everything they possibly can with the money that we actually provided for them through advance [appropriations] for our veterans.”
But Bost also blamed Democrats for the shutdown that began Oct. 1 over partisan differences about federal spending levels, foreign aid rescissions and health insurance subsidies.
“The Democrat shutdown has caused pain and uncertainty for veterans, service members and their families across the country. Ranking Member Takano and Ranking Member Blumenthal are correct that VA cannot deliver certain services to veterans due to the Democrat shutdown,” Bost said Friday. “As chairman, I am concerned about this as well, which is exactly why their party should stop holding the vitally important VA services veterans and their families rely on hostage and vote to reopen the government. Enough is enough — it’s time for Democrats to stop playing politics with the American people’s lives.”
More than 14,000 VA employees are furloughed, representing just 3% of a workforce that tops 460,000.
Blumenthal and Takano also accused the VA of sending “politically charged messages” to veterans about the continuation of their benefits in the shutdown that blamed Democrats in the Senate for blocking legislation to keep the government open. They said VA leaders had violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits certain political activities of government employees, including those in the executive branch. The law’s goal is to keep federal programs nonpartisan.
In the Oct. 7 letter to Collins, Democratic lawmakers wrote that veterans and their families from their districts who are turning to their offices for help — sometimes as a last resort — are encountering more delays because the lawmakers’ queries to the VA are ignored.
“We write to urge you to reverse your weaponization of the current lapse in appropriations and restore vital congressional communications to ensure our veterans receive the care and benefits they deserve, which are covered by multi-year appropriations and should not be affected by the current shutdown,” the Democratic lawmakers wrote.
“The department must dedicate sufficient staff and resources necessary to accomplish the task of responding in a timely manner to ALL constituent casework requests initiated by Congress,” according to the letter.
VA’s Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs — which is responsible for responding to lawmakers’ queries — has available funding unrelated to the shutdown to continue operations, they wrote.
But the office “refuses to initiate, dispatch, or respond to congressional inquiries on behalf of our veteran constituents,” according to the letter.
“We take [their] concerns or their specific cases directly to VA and advocate on their behalf. Thus, any delay in responding to this outreach or dispatching their cases will cause harm to the veterans we serve,” they wrote.
“Because of the Democrats’ government shutdown, VA has suspended all congressional relations activities except for those involving patient safety or immediate care needs. Once the Democrats’ shutdown ends, these services will resume,” VA Secretary Peter Kasperowicz said in a statement Tuesday.
The letter from Blumenthal and Takano was signed by several members of the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees.
They are: Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.; Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii; Sen. Angus King, I-Maine; Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Calif.; Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Ill.; Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla.; Rep. Herb Conaway, D-N.J.; Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Ore.; Rep. Tim Kennedy, D-N.Y.; Rep. Kelly Morrison, D-Minn.; and Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill.
