Sen. Tammy Duckworth wants details on VA dismissals

The Illinois Democrat is pushing for answers about how staff cuts at the Department of Veterans Affairs affected the Veterans Crisis Line.

Duckworth and four other Democratic senators wrote Thursday to President Donald Trump and VA Secretary Doug Collins requesting details, by job category, on two waves of VA layoffs.

The letter specifically asks how many crisis line staff were dismissed and reinstated. Duckworth’s office said at least two employees involved with crisis line operations were reinstated following Duckworth’s intervention.

The VA has said that no crisis line responders were laid off. The letter calls this “a cynical cover-up for the Trump administration’s error.”

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