WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, introduced the Putting Veteran’s First Act, legislation that reverses the chaos and damage created at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE).
Veterans make up 30 percent of the federal workforce with approximately 640,000 veterans working in federal agencies. This week, a leaked internal memo revealed the Trump administration’s plans to cut more than 80,000 of VA employees, to include at least 20,000 veterans, who make up 25 percent of the VA’s workforce.
The Trump administration’s recent mass terminations of VA employees, which include a substantive number of veterans and military spouses. The firings come at a time of staffing shortages and increased demand for services, such as urgently needed mental health care to reduce the veteran suicide rate.
Last month, Heinrich demanded that VA Secretary Doug Collins immediately reinstate the more than 1,000 VA employees terminated, including employees providing mental health support on the Veterans Crisis Line.
The Putting Veterans First Act reinstates all veterans, military spouses, survivors, veteran caregivers, and members of the Guard and Reserves who worked in the federal government and were illegally fired, demoted, or suspended by Trump, Musk, or DOGE. The legislation protects veteran benefits, prohibits DOGE from accessing or altering veterans’ private data, and increases oversight of the VA claims backlog.
“Veterans serve our country on the battlefield abroad and in civil service at home, making up 30 percent of our federal workforce. Their service deserves respect, not illegal terminations, demotions, and suspensions from a chainsaw-wielding, unelected billionaire. I’m proud to support this bill to show veterans, military spouses, veteran caregivers, and Guard and Reserve members the respect they are owed,” said Heinrich.
Specifically, the Putting Veterans First Act will:
The Putting Veterans First Act is led by U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). Alongside Heinrich, the legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ark.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Catherin Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.).
A section by-section of the bill is here.
Last month, Heinrich and U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) demanded that VA Secretary Doug Collins immediately secure veterans’ personal information provided by the VA or other agencies to Elon Musk and his “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE). This call followed Musk’s takeover of the U.S. Treasury’s payment system, which includes private information of veterans and their families, and reports of DOGE employees accessing VA computer systems at the Department’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.
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