SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A group of veterans and nurses rallied outside of Representative Scott Peters office on Friday, demanding support for a fully funded and staffed Veterans Affairs healthcare clinic.
Nurses say their clinics have been understaffed as the Trump administration cuts thousands of VA employees so far this year, and they say the goal to reduce staff by up to 15% has put veterans at risk.
“As nurses we say not on our watch!” said Andrea Johnson, a VA nurse.
These nurses say they’re standing on the front lines of healthcare to defend those who defended our country.
“Any healthcare provider that comes to the VA wants to be there to serve those who served,” Johnson said.
This comes as the Department of Veterans Affairs announced in July, they’re on track to cut 30,000 VA employees by the end of fiscal year 2025.
“Those folks that are still here, they’re going to double down and have to work harder, and mistakes will be made,” said Jan Rugman, an executive board member for Veterans for Peace.
So far, nearly 17,000 employees have been cut, and the government plans to slash another 12,000 by the end of September.
“I also want to keep the good people,” President Donald Trump said. “We want to get rid of the people that aren’t working that aren’t showing up and have a lot of problems.”
The Trump administration claims disability backlog is down nearly 30%, but veterans like John Falchi say the understaffed clinics are already causing delays in care.
“I had my surgery on July 2 and could have used someone the next day,” he said.
Falchi says he’s recovering well from knee surgery this summer, but two months later, he’s still waiting for the VA to send someone to continue his at-home care.
“The VA helps their veterans in times like this in need, but the people that are normally there to help you are gone,” he said.
Falchi’s concerned these cuts could push veterans to private healthcare clinics that can’t address all their needs.
“They don’t know very much about the military and what circumstances you’re in or what your situation really is,” he said. “They’re not of the culture.”
That’s why these nurses and veterans protested outside of Representative Scott Peters office on Friday, asking him to help prevent future reduction and restore collective bargaining rights to VA nurses.
“Stand up and honor the promise that our nation made to veterans that they would be cared for since the Civil War, them and their widows would be cared for,” Rugman said
Following the rally, Peters says, “My office met with National Nurses United today, and I will always stand with our workers and veterans against the Trump administration’s blatant union busting and attempts to privatize the VA.”
Johnson says the fight continues to protect those who protect us.
“If I don’t have an IV needle or a syringe to administer important medication, that’s delay of care and that potentially could lead to harm and even possibly death for our veterans and that’s unacceptable,” she said.
The Veterans for Peace organization say they’re planning to continue protesting cuts to the VA every first Friday of the month.
Their next rally will be on Oct. 3 at the Oceanside VA Health Clinic.
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