- Local veterans are just one group concerned about federal agency cuts taking place.
- At a townhall Saturday organized by the Leon County Democratic Party, hundreds of neighbors gathered to raise their concerns and hoping for attendance by Congressman Neal Dunn after sending an invitation.
- Dunn said he had events already scheduled on Saturday but will host a townhall later for veterans to share their worries.
- Watch the video to hear from local veterans and to find out what the VA says about the changes ahead.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Taking a stand to get answers about their care, that's what's happening here in Tallahassee as local veterans try to figure out what cuts at Veterans Affairs could mean for them.
The American Legion is one of the places where veterans are making their voices heard.
We're taking a look at their concerns and what the VA said about changes ahead.
A packed house during Saturday's townhall organized by the Leon County Democratic Party, with hundreds showing up to share concerns over cost-cutting efforts at federal agencies, including those at the department of veterans affairs.
"So to be forgotten about, to start talking jobs away," said local veteran, Lawrence Rester," listing a few reasons for his concern over these proposed cuts.
Earlier this month an internal memo was leaked concerning cuts to the VA. According to the Associated Press, that memo showed that a reorganization of the department could mean over 80,000 jobs cut.
One of the things that has local veterans, like Rester, so concerned about — his health care.
"I'm due for a surgery in May," said Rester. "I’ve already spoken with the surgery team and with the VA and it’s all covered right now, but who knows...If i didn’t no longer had that option, and no others had that option, there is no way we could afford health care otherwise."
ABC 27 took those concerns to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
In a statement to ABC 27, a spokesperson said that they are finding ways to “improve care” “without cutting care and benefits”.
The statement goes on to say that they’re not “reducing medical staff or claims processors” but “reducing bureaucracy and inefficiencies”.
According to the Associated Press' reporting of that leaked memo, the Department has a goal of cutting enough employees to return to 2019 staffing levels of just under 400 thousand people. The AP said that would mean terminating tens of thousands of employees.
Ryan Ray, Chair of the Leon County Democratic Party, organized Saturday's townhall. Ray said the large turnout was an indication of how Tallahassee residents want lawmakers to respond to federal cuts.
"The people in Tallahassee are saying we don’t want that," said Ray. "We want a congressman who will stand up to what’s going on in D.C, not go along with it.”
Congressman Neal Dunn was invited to Saturday's town hall event but did not attend.
His team said:
"Congressman Dunn hosted two Military Service Academy Day events on Saturday for high school students interested in attending one of our country’s top Service Academies. These events had been publicly promoted for more than two weeks, well before he was invited to this event."
In response for Congressman Dunn to take action, his team said:
"Congressman Dunn last week met with the Director of the North Florida/South Georgia VA Healthcare System, who shared that 20 of their 6,600 employees were laid off – or 0.3%. All of them were recent hires, and none of them were direct patient care positions. He learned that there is an easy-to-navigate and efficient appeals process and that the center received at least one favorable outcome with the appeals process.
Additionally, Congressman Dunn’s team has also spoken with the Director of the Gulf Coast VA Healthcare System, who shared that they have lost a “minimal” number of employees, and none of them were direct patient care positions. In fact, they’ve received multiple waivers and continue to hire direct patient care positions.
Dunn's s team went on to say..."As a veteran himself, Congressman Dunn is committed to ensuring that his fellow veterans receive the medical care they’ve earned, which is why he voted for the recent budget resolution that increased VA funding for fiscal year 2025."
We asked Dunn's team if local veterans will be able to talk to him about their concerns, they said they would host a town hall style event. A date was not provided.
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