Unions can’t hide behind veterans any more



America makes a solemn promise to its servicemen and women: If you risk your life for this country, we will care for you when you return. For too long, that promise has been broken by a federal bureaucracy more devoted to protecting its unions than serving veterans.

That changed this year. In a bold and long-overdue move, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins ended most collective bargaining agreements for the department’s 430,000 unionized employees. His action follows a March executive order designed to put veterans first and strip away the union roadblocks that slowed hiring, blocked accountability, and siphoned resources away from patient care.

For the first time in decades, the VA can operate as what it was meant to be: a service organization dedicated entirely to those who served.

For decades, outdated contracts tied the hands of VA managers. They could not reward high-performing employees, fire underperformers, or recruit top talent. In some cases, they were forced to keep workers on the payroll even after serious misconduct — all because unions defended them regardless of the cost to veterans.

The American Federation of Government Employees was the worst offender. It fought even bipartisan reforms like the Mission Act of 2018, which allowed veterans to access private medical care when VA hospitals were over capacity. That law cut wait times, but the American Federation of Government Employees resisted because it threatened the union's control over the workforce.

The union's goal was never better care. It was raw power.

The cost of that power was staggering. In 2024, VA union officials logged more than 750,000 hours of taxpayer-funded “official time,” collecting government salaries to conduct union business instead of serving veterans. Some drew paychecks of more than $200,000 a year without performing a single VA duty. That money and manpower were stolen from the mission.

Collins’ reforms are beginning to change the culture. As of April 25, the VA stopped automatically deducting union dues from paychecks. Workers now decide for themselves whether to send their earnings to a union or keep the money for their families, savings, or personal needs.

The department has also reclaimed 187,000 square feet of office space once occupied by unions and eliminated millions in costs for union-provided equipment. Those savings are being redirected to training, performance bonuses, and modern tools for VA staff. The principle is simple: Every dollar and every hour should serve veterans, not union bosses.

Critics argue that these changes weaken worker protections. The opposite is true. The reforms create a merit-based culture where good employees can thrive and bad ones can no longer hide behind endless grievance procedures. Veterans will benefit from faster, more responsive care delivered by a workforce motivated by performance, not politics.

The impact will be felt across the system. Hiring can move quickly without layers of union sign-off. Misconduct will bring swift discipline. Resources once wasted on union perks will flow to medical equipment, expanded telehealth services, and modernized facilities. Veterans will finally see shorter wait times, higher-quality care, and a culture that puts them at the center of every decision.

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Photo by MivPiv via Getty Images

By freeing the VA from entrenched unions, Collins has restored accountability, strengthened the workforce, and realigned the department’s mission with its values. For the first time in decades, the VA can operate as what it was meant to be: a service organization dedicated entirely to those who served.

America owes its veterans nothing less than excellence. Collins’ actions are a decisive step toward honoring that debt. The men and women who wore the uniform kept their promise to the nation. Now their government is finally keeping its promise to them.

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My husband and I visited our families for Independence Day. For millions of Americans, that's a typical summer tradition. For us, it was an extraordinary day. Kyle is an active-duty naval officer who has spent several years of our marriage deployed overseas and across the United States.

Kyle and I expected the challenges of military life: the deployments, the stresses on mental health, even the risk of homelessness or divorce that looms over many military families. Yet the one issue we weren’t prepared for — one we are keenly aware of as Kyle approaches retirement — is the shock of seeing firsthand the Department of Veterans Affairs repeatedly fail those who have served.

The VA made all veterans a promise: dedicated care after service. Today, that promise is broken daily.

From December 2023 until June of this year, I served as the ombudsman for my husband's ship, the USS Harry S. Truman. My role was to bridge the gap between command and families, ensuring that they had access to critical resources and could reach command in case of emergency. In that position, I watched closely as families ahead of ours navigated life after active service, applying for the VA benefits they had been promised.

What I’ve observed is nothing short of betrayal.

A broken promise

Veterans aren't just denied their hard-earned benefits by bureaucratic red tape. Their entire lives are often put on hold, causing untold mental health, family, and professional suffering in addition to what is endured during deployments.

One of the most common struggles veterans and their families face is the historic backlog of claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs. While the number has improved in recent months, nearly 185,000 backlogged disability claims remained unprocessed as of June.

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DepthofField via iStock/Getty Images

Veterans regularly spend months — or even years — in limbo, trying to secure the benefits they’ve earned while dealing with disabilities incurred while serving.

Partially disabled veterans with treatable conditions like tinnitus or various levels of post-traumatic stress disorder want to work in the private sector, but they need specialized care to do so. Getting approval for that care is a nightmare, with many giving up altogether or resorting to expensive — or sometimes shady — advocates for assistance.

Lawmakers must step in

That's why states and Congress must intervene where the VA has failed. In Rhode Island — my home state and possibly our future home — the legislature introduced the Save Act, a state-level version of the federal Choice Act. Both bills aim to expedite the benefits process by allowing veterans to hire certified consultants. Importantly, these measures would safeguard veterans from exploitation by setting payment caps, ensuring that providers have VA approval, and mandating that consultants only receive payment after veterans do.

Unfortunately, Rhode Island's legislature rejected the Save Act, instead passing a more restrictive bill that prohibits veterans from consulting experts during their initial claims for benefits. Despite this setback, momentum in several states and Congress to support veterans is encouraging.

Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins says he’s made progress on the backlog, but decades of mismanagement and corruption can’t be unwound in a matter of months. Moreover, a supposed 25% reduction in claims backlog raises troubling questions: How many veterans were hastily denied to meet bureaucratic quotas?

I’ll be old and gray before this bureaucratic nightmare is fixed — if ever.

Our veterans deserve better

When Kyle first raised his right hand, America made him — and all veterans — a promise: dedicated care after service. It’s the same promise that has been made to veterans for decades in return for enduring stressful deployments, risking both their lives and family bonds. Today, that promise is broken daily. Families are subjected to unbearable delays and bureaucratic hurdles, often forced to fight for benefits they've already earned or tragically never receive.

I’ll always cherish Independence Day 2025, which took us up and down much of the East Coast — together, for once, as an entire family. It offered a glimpse into the life we dream of when Kyle retires — a life we earned together through sacrifice. The VA should help us realize that dream, not obstruct it.

It's past time for lawmakers and VA leadership to fulfill their obligations and put veterans first.

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The Department of Veterans Affairs announced on Monday that it would "phase out" offering "gender-affirming prosthetics" and cross-sex hormones, citing President Donald Trump's executive order directing the federal government to eradicate gender ideology.

The executive action, "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government," recognized two sexes that are "not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality."

'They can do so on their own dime.'

The VA's Monday announcement explained that the department is "adjusting its policies to fully comply with the EO," which includes no longer providing veterans with "cross-sex hormone therapy" or "any other medical or surgical therapy for gender dysphoria to any patients in any circumstance."

The VA stated that it never provided "sex-change surgeries." However, in addition to cross-sex hormones, it has offered voice training and "so-called gender-affirming prosthetics, including breast forms, chest binders, dilator sets for post-vaginoplasty, packers, surgical compression vests, and wigs."

Veterans already receiving cross-sex hormones will not be impacted by the change.

The VA noted that those with gender dysphoria can continue to receive preventive and mental health care.

"Any and all savings VA achieves by stopping specific medical treatments for gender dysphoria will be redirected to help severely injured VA beneficiaries — such as paralyzed Veterans and amputees — regain their independence," the press release read.

VA Secretary Doug Collins stated, "I mean no disrespect to anyone, but VA should not be focused on helping Veterans attempt to change their sex. The vast majority of Veterans and Americans agree, and that is why this is the right decision."

"All eligible Veterans — including trans-identified Veterans — will always be welcome at VA and will always receive the benefits and services they've earned under the law. But if Veterans want to attempt to change their sex, they can do so on their own dime," he added.

Over the weekend, Collins was questioned about the Department of Government Efficiency's efforts to trim waste and bureaucracy within the VA.

"At the end of the day, I'm gonna make decisions best for my employees and best for the veterans, and they're giving us some good advice, looking with fresh eyes," Collins stated.

"We're going to do everything we possibly can to make sure that the veteran experience gets better," Collins said, noting that it is the "biggest issue" the VA faces.

Since Trump took office, the VA has already opened four new clinics.

"As government union bosses, the legacy media, and some in Congress have been spreading false rumors of health care and benefits cuts at VA, we've opened multiple brand-new clinics that will serve tens of thousands of veterans," Collins remarked.

"Don't believe the fake news," he added.

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Clinton-appointed judge orders Trump to 'immediately' rehire fired workers



On Thursday, a judge ordered the Trump administration to "immediately" rehire tens of thousands of probationary employees terminated from six federal agencies.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup, appointed by former President Bill Clinton, called the Office of Personnel Management's decision to lay off the federal workers "unlawful," a "sham," and a "gimmick," Politico reported. He insisted that President Donald Trump's administration had circumvented legal requirements by arguing the terminations were performance-based, which he claimed was not the case.

'The Government has engaged in an illegal scheme spanning broad swaths of the federal workforce.'

"It is a sad, sad day when our government would fire some good employee and say it was based on performance when they know good and well that's a lie," Alsup stated.

He demanded that the Departments of Defense, Treasury, Energy, Interior, Agriculture, and Veterans Affairs rehire the probationary employees. Yet, Alsup also noted that the agencies have the authority to implement "reductions in force."

"The words that I give you today should not be taken that some wild-and-crazy judge in San Francisco said that an administration cannot engage in a reduction in force," Alsup said. "It can be done, if it's done in accordance with the law."

During a Thursday hearing, Alsup accused the DOJ's legal team of being "afraid" to have individuals cross-examined because it "would reveal the truth."

"I tend to doubt that you're telling me the truth," the judge said. "I'm tired of seeing you stonewall on trying to get at the truth."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey Helland insisted that the directive to terminate the employees "was not an order by OPM."

"Everybody knew the new administration was prioritizing this and the political appointments wanted to comply with that administration priority," Helland explained.

The Government Executive reported that the judge's rehire order impacts roughly 24,000 probationary workers who were fired last month.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Alsup of "attempting to unconstitutionally seize the power of hiring and firing from the Executive Branch."

"The President has the authority to exercise the power of the entire executive branch — singular district court judges cannot abuse the power of the entire judiciary to thwart the President's agenda," Leavitt remarked. "If a federal district court judge would like executive powers, they can try and run for president themselves."

The DOJ filed a notice to appeal.

On Thursday evening, a second federal judge, U.S. District Judge James Bredar, issued a temporary restraining order, calling for more than a dozen federal agencies to temporarily reinstate terminated workers.

The judge wrote, "In this case, the government conducted massive layoffs, but it gave no advance notice. It claims it wasn't required to because, it says, it dismissed each one of these thousands of probationary employees for 'performance' or other individualized reasons."

"On the record before the Court, this isn't true. There were no individualized assessments of employees. They were all just fired. Collectively," he added.

The Trump administration has terminated approximately 200,000 probationary employees across the federal government.

"When, as is likely the case here, the Government has engaged in an illegal scheme spanning broad swaths of the federal workforce, it is inevitable that the remediation of that scheme will itself be a significant task," Bredar stated.

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