Senators press VA nominee on contract cancellations, review process and ties to former employer

Senators on the Veterans' Affairs Committee repeatedly questioned nominee Dr. Karen Bridal about her involvement in the VA's contract review and cancellation process and whether she had reviewed contracts linked to her former employer, Science Application International Corporation (SAIC).

Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal pressed Bridal on whether she had reviewed specific canceled contracts and cited a figure that SAIC received $70,000,000 from the VA. "I know you have said you weren't directly involved, but I'm gonna wanna know exactly how you were involved in what has been done already by the VA," Blumenthal said. Bridal told the committee that she had reviewed "some of those" contracts but later said she had not reviewed contracts of her former employer and that she had "met the requirements of the law" regarding her prior employment.

Disputed counts: Senators gave differing totals for canceled contracts during the exchange. Blumenthal at one point cited tens of thousands canceled; Senator King noted various publicly cited figures (31,000, 16,000). Bridal said the number of contracts actually terminated as of her testimony was about 2,500 out of roughly 76,000 contracts, and she described a structure she recommended that relied on career senior leaders to independently evaluate contracts for termination or nonrenewal.

Committee members also focused on the role of noncareer review teams and the mechanics of the review. King asked whether Bridal had reviewed the contracts of her former employer; Bridal repeatedly replied that she was not a contracting officer or contracting authority and that she had not reviewed those contracts. "I am not a contracting officer nor a contracting authority. I do not have that authority," she said.

Bridal said she was responsible for assessing executive orders and ensuring they were followed without disruption and that she would take follow‑up actions to locate specifics after the hearing if senators requested them. She told senators she would look into particular contracts raised by committee members and provide information following the hearing.

Ending: No formal committee action was taken during the hearing; senators asked for written follow‑up on specific contracts and an accounting of the contract review process.