Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) announced on Wednesday that she is introducing two legislative measures aimed at safeguarding jobs within the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The first proposal, called the “Crisis Protection Veterans Act,” mandates that VA Secretary Doug Collins must report to Congress prior to any cuts to the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL). This bill follows incidents from earlier this year where a significant number of VCL workers were mistakenly terminated, although many were reinstated due to public outcry.
“Secretary Collins might assure that a VCL worker wrongly let go will be rehired, but the fact remains—he needs to be open with Congress,” Duckworth commented. She mentioned her plans to share updates on the legislation.
This announcement comes after Duckworth scrutinized Collins regarding the “lack of transparency” about the issues affecting the mental health crisis hotline for veterans.
“The terminations of these crucial employees were accompanied by an unacceptable level of opaqueness,” she remarked in a statement following the hearing.
“If Secretary Collins intends to reduce the Veterans Crisis Line, he must inform Congress, ensuring that such cuts do not undermine the VCL’s vital mission. The lives of veterans facing crises depend on this service,” she added.
In addition, Duckworth revealed that she is also reintroducing the “VA Employee Equivalence Act,” which aims to restore collective bargaining rights for VA healthcare employees, enabling them to “freely discuss the challenges they encounter with the VA.”
“Management cannot operate in secrecy while undermining the VA,” she wrote.
This initiative arises amid confirmed plans to eliminate tens of thousands of jobs in the future as part of efforts to restructure agencies and significantly reduce the workforce.
Last month, Duckworth proposed legislation to protect veteran employment, addressing the dismissals of numerous veterans that occurred during the Trump administration’s budget cuts in Virginia.
