The Federalist — June 6, 2025 — The VA has been ‘mismanaged for a long time … and there are effective changes that could be made right now’ to improve treatment access for veterans.

Since President Trump’s return to Washington, Democrats and their media allies have gone ballistic at the new administration’s attempts to shrink the federal government and increase its overall efficiency. And that statement is especially true when it comes to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Following the confirmation of VA Secretary Doug Collins, the Trump administration has sought to bring much needed reforms to the second largest federal agency that watchdogs have regularly found mismanages hundreds of millions to billions of dollars every year. This has included slashing what Collins classified as “nonessential roles, like interior designers and other things — DEI,” working with DOGE to identify wasteful contracts, and end radical Biden-era policies.

…

Retired service members John Byrnes (Marine Corps and Army) and Jim Whaley (Army) also noted their concerns about the VA’s administrative failures in remarks to The Federalist. Byrnes currently serves as the strategic director of Concerned Veterans for America (CVA), while Whaley is the CEO of Mission Roll Call. Both organizations advocate for and on behalf of veterans and veterans’ issues across America.

While Byrnes and Whaley described having generally positive personal experiences with frontline VA medical care and personnel, they echoed Sauer’s criticisms that the VA bureaucracy too often fails to deliver for veterans in need.

Read the full article here: ( https://thefederalist.com/2025/06/06/how-secretary-collins-can-fix-the-problems-at-veterans-affairs-democrats-pretend-dont-exist/ )