Rep. Greg Murphy (RN.C.) defended the Department of Veterans' Affairs budget and workforce cuts on Monday as he said veteran benefits and care would be immune from reductions.
In an interview with CNN's Brianna Keilar, Murphy said cuts are essential to curbing government spending and restructuring, ensuring institutions work efficiently for the American people.
“No, I can't guarantee anything,” Murphy said when asked if he could guarantee that veterans' benefits and care would not be affected by the cuts.
“But again, the overall purpose of the rebuild is to ensure that the agency is efficient,” he added.
Murphy, who is on the House Veterans Committee, said the issue will seriously affect his district.
“Look, I care about veterans. One of my 10 ingredients is veterans. It's a real problem in eastern North Carolina,” he said. “But the real problem is also when someone postponed a doctor's appointment for eight or ten months when they can't get benefits and can't take care of them. That's where the agency failed.”
“We're trying to get an agency that actually works for the people it's supposed to care for,” he added.
Murphy said he's heard from voters who are unhappy with the cut, but emphasized that the restructuring process would inevitably lead to pain.
“Yes. Certainly, we are listening to voters,” he said when asked what he was hearing from his constituents. “Of course, a lot of people are calling our offices. They're calling all the Republican offices and expressing their concerns.”
He added: “Are there any short-term pain? Are there some issues? Absolutely, this is what happens in the restructuring. But we have to go back to doing what the government should be doing, and it works for the people.”
The interview comes as the VA is subject to a wave of workforce reductions that saw its 1,400 employees slash last Monday after 1,000 workers were cut early in February.
VA secretary Doug Collins also announced cancellations of up to 875 contracts last Tuesday, but the division paused its efforts the following day amid rage from Democrats and groups of veterans.
Collins defended workforce cuts last week, saying the recent wave would save VA more than $83 million a year.
“Though these and other recent HR decisions are extremely difficult, the VA is focused on allocating resources to support many veterans, families, caregivers and survivors as much as possible,” Collins said in a statement last week. “These moves will not hurt VA's healthcare, benefits, or beneficiaries. In fact, veterans will notice a change for the better.”
