U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins was peppered with questions Tuesday about widespread layoffs at the federal agency during a press conference at the Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville.
Collins has said the VA will lay off as many as 80,000 staffers as part of President Donald Trump’s controversial strategy to streamline the federal government. The VA has already laid off 2,400 probationary employees, including 14 or 15 staff members who lost jobs at the Asheville VA hospital. Collins shared that one executive assistant, interior designers, and some stock clerks were among the 14 or 15 staffers let go in Asheville.
Responding to a reporter’s question, Collins said cost-savings from layoffs will be redirected to patient care. “Hundreds of millions of dollars” have already been directed to patient care, he said.
VA Secretary Doug Collins addresses rumors about veterans’ benefits cuts in a recent video filmed in his office. // Photo: US Department of Veterans Affairs
The Iraq War veteran and former Air Force chaplain said news outlets have made his job tougher by contributing misinformation about what is occurring at the VA.
“Health care and benefits are not being cut,” Collins said. “Most of that is statutory and that’s not something we’re going to cut in the sense of what’s being said, but I have people on the outside, even probably out here in the front today saying, ‘you’re cutting benefits.’”
Click here to see a video Collins recorded last month to address concerns about rumored health care and benefits cuts at the VA.
Big planned cuts draw protests
Asheville-area news outlets reported that more than 20 demonstrators gathered outside the Asheville VA to complain about federal budget cuts. Blue Ridge Public Radio reported that some held signs that read: “Trump hates vets” and “Protect our veterans from DOGE.”
DOGE refers to the so-called Department of Government Efficiency led by tech billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk, whom Trump charged with reducing “waste” in the federal government and improving efficiency.
Collins said he spends “most of my time fighting innuendo and rumor.”
“Quit scaring my veterans,” Collins implored. “Quit scaring my employees. We’ve got a lot of change coming and we’re going to work together to have it.”
Collins pushed back on what he said are false claims that VA layoffs will include doctors and nurses.
“That’s not even in our consideration right now,” Collins said. “I need more good doctors; I need more good nurses. I need more of who are taking care of people on the front line.”
Colorado Newsline reported on Tuesday that veterans are already complaining in detail to members of Congress about how VA cuts are already limiting their access to care.
But Collins claimed the agency will mostly make cuts at the “bureaucracy layer” that runs from VA doctors to the agency’s central office in Washington. The agency, for example, will look at federal contracts for cuts, he said.
“By the way, 2 percent was all we looked at so far in contracts and we found monies that came from; we were paying people to write PowerPoints for us and meeting notes,” Collins said. “That doesn’t help my doctors. That doesn’t help them do what they’re supposed to do.”
The secretary was also critical of media reports about long waits for care at VA and canceled surgeries. The folks complaining are the ones most resistant to change, he said.
“I’m going to challenge anybody that you can’t tell me that the things are bad, and 60 percent of the calls to congressional offices are saying we need help getting to VA benefits or getting their help and then tell me we can’t change anything.”
Much of the criticism and pushback being directed at Collins, however, has come from Trump allies. Politico reported last week that Republican members of Congress have made a “flurry of panicked calls” to the agency as details of planned cuts have emerged.
The report quoted Senate Veterans’ Affairs Chair Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) as saying efforts to downsize “must be done in a more responsible manner,” and that planned cuts must be “justifiable.”
South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told Politico, “Maybe you’ve got a good reason to do it. I like Doug Collins — he’s a great guy. But we don’t need to be reading memos in the paper about 20 percent cut at the VA.”
Collins spoke extensively about veterans’ suicide, contending that the nation spends more than $588 million a year to prevent suicides among veterans each year but the numbers remain the same.
“We got great people doing great things with our suicide prevention but is there better ways to do it?” Collins asked. “We’re spending $588 million on prevention and we’re staying between 17 and 40 [veteran suicides per day], depending on what numbers you want to look at. I don’t accept that as a veteran. I want to find better ways.”
According to the 2024 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Report, which analyzed data from 2001 to 2022, there were 6,407 suicides among veterans in 2022 compared to 41,484 among non-veteran U.S. adults. There were on average 131.2 adult suicides per day, with 17.6 veteran suicides per day, according to the report. The VA’s data show 209 veteran suicides in North Carolina in 2022.
Collins called the Asheville VA Medical Center a “family community that is working.” He pledged to take what’s working there and at other successful centers to replicate across the country.
“When you get as large as we are, it’s always good to see folks doing it well,” Collins said. “That also doesn’t mean we can’t do it better. I think that’s one of the things I’m emphasizing as I move forward. How do we take the things that are good here in places like Asheville in Western North Carolina and make that something we can model elsewhere in the country?”
NC Newsline is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization. Investigative Reporter Greg Childress covers issues related to poverty, homelessness, and housing policy.This article is republished here with permission.
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SUMMARY: Jim Jenkins, a North Carolina baseball trailblazer and Negro Leagues player, exemplified resilience and excellence both on and off the field. His sons recall his superior skills—hitting, running, and catching—and how he faced challenges due to his skin color. Beyond baseball, Jenkins was a community father, teaching youths fundamentals and helping those in need. He shared a friendship with legend Hank Aaron, often attending Braves games with his family. His legacy endures through his children, who honor not just his athletic achievements but his kindness and humanity, inspiring future generations to carry on his impact.
James “Jim” Jenkins had a profound impact on the game of baseball as a trailblazer known in the Carolinas.
SUMMARY: A scientist reflecting on the politicization of science warns that ideological influence undermines objectivity, breeds mistrust, and hampers public understanding. The FY2026 budget proposal cut NIH funding by about 40%, saving taxpayers $18 billion, but only 1.5% of the total federal budget, while increasing defense spending by 13%. These cuts severely impact states like North Carolina, where science drives $2.4 billion in tax revenue and thousands of jobs. The cuts target indirect costs vital for research infrastructure and diversity efforts, mistakenly seen as ideological rather than essential scientific practices. The author calls for unity to prioritize facts over politics and protect scientific progress for societal and economic health.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-06-15 02:01:00
North Carolina’s U.S. House members voted along party lines on two Republican-backed bills: the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (H.R. 1), which cuts \$1.6 trillion in government spending, and the “Rescissions Act of 2025” (H.R. 4), which eliminates \$9.4 billion from entities like USAID and public broadcasting. Republicans called it a purge of waste, citing spending on drag shows and foreign projects. Democrats criticized the cuts as harmful and symbolic, calling the effort fiscally irresponsible. H.R. 1 passed 215-214; H.R. 4 passed 214-212. No Democrats supported either. A few Republicans broke ranks and voted against their party on each bill.
(The Center Square) – North Carolinians in the U.S. House of Representatives were unwavering of party preference for two bills now awaiting finalization in the Senate.
Republicans who favored them say the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, known also as House Resolution 1, slashed $1.6 trillion in waste, fraud and abuse of government systems. The Rescissions Act of 2025, known also as House Resolution 4, did away with $9.4 billion – less than six-tenths of 1% of the other legislation – in spending by the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Corp. for Public Broadcasting (PBS, NPR), and other entities.
Democrats against them say the Department of Government Efficiency made “heartless budget cuts” and was an “attack on the resources that North Carolinians were promised and that Congress has already appropriated.”
Republicans from North Carolina in favor of both were Reps. Dr. Greg Murphy, Virginia Foxx, Addison McDowell, David Rouzer, Rev. Mark Harris, Richard Hudson, Pat Harrigan, Chuck Edwards, Brad Knott and Tim Moore.
Democrats against were Reps. Don Davis, Deborah Ross, Valerie Foushee and Alma Adams.
Foxx said the surface was barely skimmed with cuts of “$14 million in cash vouchers for migrants at our southern border; $24,000 for a national spelling bee in Bosnia; $1.5 million to mobilize elderly, lesbian, transgender, nonbinary and intersex people to be involved in the Costa Rica political process; $20,000 for a drag show in Ecuador; and $32,000 for an LGBTQ comic book in Peru.”
Adams said, “While Elon Musk claimed he would cut $1 trillion from the federal government, the recissions package amounts to less than 1% of that. Meanwhile, House Republicans voted just last month to balloon the national debt by $3 trillion in their One Big Ugly Bill. It’s fiscal malpractice, not fiscal responsibility.”
House Resolution 1 passed 215-214 and House Resolution 4 went forward 214-212. Republican Reps. Warren Davidson of Ohio and Thomas Massie of Kentucky were against the One Big Beautiful Bill and Republican Reps. Mark Amodei of Nevada, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Nicole Malliotakis of New York and Michael Turner of Ohio were against the Rescissions Act.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The article presents a straightforward report on the partisan positions and voting outcomes related to two specific bills, highlighting the contrasting views of Republicans and Democrats without using loaded or emotionally charged language. It neutrally conveys the Republicans’ framing of the bills as efforts to cut waste and reduce spending, alongside Democrats’ critique of those cuts as harmful and insufficient fiscal discipline. By providing direct quotes from representatives of both parties and clearly stating voting results, the content maintains factual reporting without promoting a particular ideological stance. The balanced presentation of arguments and absence of editorializing indicate a commitment to neutrality rather than an intentional partisan perspective.
