Senate subcommittee presses VA Secretary Collins on $441.2 billion FY‑26 request, $18 billion shift to toxic‑exposure fund, staffing and EHR rollout

Secretary Collins faced sustained questioning from members of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee at a budget hearing over the Veterans Affairs Department's fiscal 2026 funding request, staffing plans and program priorities.

The department requested $441,200,000,000 for FY 2026, Secretary Collins said during opening remarks, and submitted a proposal that would reprogram roughly $18,000,000,000 away from the VA medical services account into the statutory toxic‑exposure fund tied to the PACT Act. Senator Jon Ossoff, the subcommittee ranking member, called VA benefits “a sacred contract” and said the committee lacked the usual supporting budget justification materials to analyze the proposal.

Why it matters: The hearing focused on three high‑stakes topics that affect veterans’ access to care — the scale and composition of the FY‑26 request, how staffing and personnel decisions will affect direct patient care, and the continued rollout of the VA’s electronic health record (EHR) system. Lawmakers repeatedly asked the secretary to provide more detailed budget justification documents and operational data the committee said were missing from the submission.

Major budget and funding issues

Secretary Collins confirmed the overall FY‑26 topline of $441.2 billion and said the budget asks include large increases for the EHR modernization program and major construction. Collins told senators the VA would provide more detailed materials to the committee following the hearing. Senator Ossoff said missing documentation made it “very challenging” to assess the request.

Several senators focused on a proposed reallocation of about $18 billion from the…