House Veterans' Affairs panel presses VA secretary on budget, proposed restructuring and workforce cuts

House lawmakers and Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins spent hours debating the VA’s fiscal 2026 budget request and the administration’s review of the department’s organizational structure, with members demanding detail on which jobs could be cut and how veteran care would be protected.

The hearing’s most contentious theme was the administration’s stated goal to reduce overhead and reorganize VA operations. Chairman Mike Bost said the White House requested $187.2 billion for VA next year and framed the administration’s reorganization as a bid to improve delivery of care. “This is a more disciplined budget request focusing on delivery, not distraction,” he said. Ranking Member Mark Takano challenged the secretary on transparency and the potential effect on staff and veterans, telling Collins the department “has undermined” trust since he took office.

Secretary Collins said the department is examining its workforce to reduce bureaucracy and free clinical staff to provide care. He told lawmakers that roughly 300,000 positions have already been exempted from the hiring freeze and that the administration’s intent is to protect doctors, nurses and direct-care providers. Collins said VA’s total employment is about 465,000, including roughly 409,000 in Veterans Health Administration, and that VA has 28,000 physicians and about 91,000 nurses. He also reported a backlog of disability claims falling from about 260,000 to 200,000 — a roughly 21% reduction since he took office.

Members pressed for specifics. Several lawmakers said public reports and internal documents had circulated figures — including a commonly cited 83,000 job-reduction target — and asked for definitive plans, timelines and maps of which positions would be reviewed. Collins repeatedly said he would not furlough front-line clinical staff and that any staffing changes would proceed through standard statutory and notice processes; he also called some public documents “predecisional” and warned that leaks had contributed to fear among employees and veterans.

Lawmakers also questioned measures taken during the initial reorganization, including probationary terminations earlier in the administration that were later reversed. Several members pushed Collins to reaffirm protections for whistleblowers and to clarify how nondisclosure agreements are being used for staff involved in personnel reviews. Collins said that standard criminal-secrecy statutes (18 U.S.C. 1905) and whistleblower channels are preserved, and that the NDAs issued are aimed at safeguarding sensitive personnel processes, not blocking whistleblowing or inspector general access.

Members from both parties said they supported efforts to reduce red tape and improve efficiency but sought specific analyses showing savings without cutting care. Collins said the department would produce additional briefings and documentation to the committee and urged cooperation, repeating that VA’s stated goal is “veteran first” delivery of care.

Looking ahead, several lawmakers said they expect audits and GAO work to follow, and asked VA to provide precise implementation plans, timelines for any proposed reductions, and assurances that clinical staffing levels and patient-facing services would remain intact.