VA Secretary Doug Collins toured the VA Medical Center in Washington on Oct. 22, 2025, where he also held a news conference to discuss the federal government shutdown. (X screenshot)

WASHINGTON — The federal government shutdown is eroding veterans’ trust in the Department of Veterans Affairs because of the suspension of the GI Bill hotline, job assistance for service members leaving the military, and outreach programs for veterans and their families.

That is the message Doug Collins, secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, delivered Wednesday in a letter to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., warning that the “disruptive” impact of the shutdown that started Oct. 1 has implications for the VA’s ability to effectively serve veterans.

“I strongly urge you and your colleagues to move forward immediately on a continuing resolution to reopen the government. Veterans should never have to doubt that their nation will uphold its commitments to them,” Collins wrote.

Funding for VA benefits and most services continues under multiyear appropriations, Collins said during a news conference Wednesday at the Washington VA Medical Center after he toured the facility and met with staff and patients. The medical center, which sees more than a million patients a year, was a hub of activity.

Veterans hospitals are open and fully operational during the shutdown. The delivery of disability payments, pensions and other benefits to millions of veterans is continuing without disruption. The 24-hour crisis line is operating, and the VA continues to provide services for veterans at risk of suicide and homelessness.

But more than 30,000 of the VA’s 450,000 employees are furloughed. Thousands of others “are working on furlough [without pay] ... and this just can’t continue,” Collins said. “Benefits are being processed by people not getting paid.”

“Democrats have fought for months to avoid a government shutdown while Donald Trump and Republicans refused to even come to the table,” Schumer said in an emailed response to Collins’ letter.

“Spare me the lecture from an administration that’s delivering a one-two punch to America’s heroes: first, firing thousands of VA workers and canceling lifesaving care, and now, threatening to cripple 267,000 veterans with crushing health costs by refusing to extend ACA tax credits,” wrote Schumer, in a reference to health insurance subsidies Senate Democrats want to include in a short-term funding bill to reopen the government.

One Republican-led bill called the Shutdown Fairness Act would provide immediate paychecks to so-called “excepted employees” who technically are on furlough but still working. The bill was introduced Oct. 15 and placed on the Senate legislative calendar — a list of bills eligible for a vote on the floor.

VA regional offices where veterans go to get their questions answered about disability claims are temporarily closed. Outreach to veterans is limited, the GI Bill hotline is not staffed, and vocational counseling for service members leaving the military is canceled. Maintenance has stopped at veterans cemeteries, though burials continue.

The shutdown has kept more than 100,000 enrolled veterans and applicants for the VA’s Veteran Readiness and Employment program from receiving services, the VA said. More than 16,000 service members leaving the military are unable to receive VA briefings that help with their transition to civilian life.

Doug Collins, secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, recognized outstanding employees, including Donna Limes, assistant nurse manager, during a tour of the Washington, D.C., VA Medical Center on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. Collins said the VA has begun seeking solutions to problems from front-line staff. He has made in-person visits to VA hospitals a regular part of his role since taking office. (Linda F. Hersey/Stars and Stripes)

Nearly 1 million VA education beneficiaries — the dependents and survivors of former service members — cannot access the GI Bill hotline for help regarding their tuition, academic plans and housing allowances, the VA said.

“We’re watching a very sad situation for our veterans. Many work in the federal government or are affiliated with businesses in the federal government,” Collins said this week on C-Span. The federal government is the nation’s largest single employer of veterans.

The VA is the second-largest federal agency outside the Defense Department; veterans make up roughly a third of the employees.

Collins has made in-person visits to VA hospitals across the nation a regular part of his administration since taking office in early 2025. He thanked and recognized outstanding VA employees during a brief ceremony in an auditorium at the Washington VA Medical Center after touring the hospital.

In the letter to Schumer, Collins wrote that “dedicated employees should not have to worry about feeding their families or paying their bills.”

Since the shutdown started, Collins has been a frequent guest on news shows and podcasts, assuring the public that VA continues its mission to provide health services and critical benefits to veterans.

At the news conference Wednesday, he highlighted the work VA is doing but also warned that nonessential services are affected. He said the agency has shifted its focus to “bottom up” solutions from front-line staff to address problems and improve services. “We’ve had too many top-down decisions. We have a whole new functionality,” Collins said, adding that outcomes are being measured in several areas.

Collins also blamed “Democrats in the Senate” for the federal shutdown, a statement he has made on social media and in multiple interviews. He described the appropriations process in Congress as broken.

“My message to veterans is to call their congressmen and tell them to pass the CR [continuing resolution] to fund the federal government,” Collins said on Newsmax. “This is a self-made problem in Congress.”

Though the House passed a continuing resolution for short-term funding, Democrats have blocked adoption in the Senate. Partisan differences remain about the extension of insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. The subsidies, offered as tax credits, are set to expire in December.

“If Secretary Collins truly cared about veterans, he’d tell his party to stop the reckless purge of VA workers, end this shutdown, and restore the care and dignity our veterans earned. Democrats will keep fighting for veterans — and when Republicans are finally ready to do the same, we’ll be here, ready to work,” Schumer said.

Schumer on Tuesday urged President Donald Trump to meet with him and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., to solve “the health care crisis” and negotiate a solution. But Trump said he will sit down and talk with the Democratic leaders after the shutdown ends.

Collins said that Congress just needs to “pass a clean CR adjusted for inflation” and reopen federal agencies.

“The longer this goes, the worse it is going to be. Congress is playing with veterans’ lives seemingly for political gain,” Collins said.