Registered nurses (RNs), veterans, and union supporters rallied Wednesday outside the Margaret Cochran Corbin VA Campus in Manhattan to protest the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) planned staffing cuts.
The Kips Bay protest, organized by the National Nurses Organizing Committee (NNOC) and National Nurses United (NNU), comes in response to the VA’s plan to cut 80,000 employees, which would return the department to 2019 staffing levels.
This decision has drawn widespread criticism from concerned healthcare professionals and veterans, especially as the number of veterans seeking care continues to increase.
Joolie Lee, a primary care RN and Army veteran, addressed the crowd Wednesday, emphasizing the negative impact these cuts could have on veterans’ care. “Our veterans have earned the right to the specialized health care that the VA can provide,” Lee said. “Cutting staff down to 2019 levels when we have more veterans to care for is cruel and an extreme disservice to our veterans. We are already short-staffed, and these cuts will only delay giving veterans the lifesaving care they need and deserve.”
In response to concerns over potential staffing cuts at VA facilities, VA press secretary Pete Kasperowicz emphasized that the agency remains committed to improving care and benefits for veterans without compromising services. “We’re not talking about reducing doctors, nurses or claims processors,” Kasperowicz said. “We’re talking about reducing bureaucracy and inefficiencies that are getting in the way of customer convenience and service to veterans.”
He added that all mission-critical positions are exempt from cuts, and that hiring is continuing for more than 300,000 essential roles. Kasperowicz stressed that any changes would come through a “deliberative process” focused on enhancing, not reducing, the support veterans receive.
The rally was attended by close to one hundred supporters, including union leaders and healthcare workers. Many of the protesters were veterans themselves, determined to protect the care they fought for and defend the healthcare system that has supported them throughout their lives.
For aging Vietnam War veterans, the stakes are especially high. Former national president of Vietnam Veterans of America, John Rowan, spoke to the crowd about the importance of protecting veterans’ healthcare.
“It took us years to get various cancers approved with compensation and health care. It’s taken us years for them to understand all the effects on our health and other kinds of problems, and I’m not even pointing at all of the mental health issues,” Rowan said. “I urge you all to support our efforts to keep these hospitals open and fully staffed. They need it. We need it. Our families need it.”
Susan Schnall, a fellow Vietnam veteran and president of Veterans for Peace, echoed Rowan’s sentiment. “We took care of this country. Now it is the country’s time to take care of those who have suffered,” she said.
The rally comes amid growing concerns about severe staffing shortages within the VA. According to a 2024 report from the VA’s Inspector General, 82% of VA facilities are struggling with critical nursing shortages. Despite these challenges, studies show that veterans treated in the VA system receive higher-quality care compared to those in non-VA hospitals.
A 2023 study found that veterans hospitalized for heart failure and stroke had significantly lower 30-day mortality rates when treated at the VA. A 2022 report also showed lower mortality rates for veterans treated in VA emergency rooms compared to those at private hospitals.
Speaking to amNewYork about the reality of the staffing cuts, Joolie Lee said it would result in longer wait times for services, delayed cancer screenings, and a drop in the overall quality of care.
“There is a lot of anxiety and uncertainty among my colleagues. It’s going to affect everybody,” Lee said. “Reduction in force would not only exacerbate the already existing staffing issue, but it would also break the promise we made to our veterans of providing quality healthcare. Veterans demand more care and not less.”
Lee also raised concerns about the impact of the PACT Act of 2022, which expanded healthcare benefits to millions of veterans exposed to toxins. She warned that cutting jobs at the VA could result in veterans “falling through the cracks.”
“If we slash jobs after promising world-class care, what message does that send to our current veterans? What message does that send to our future service members?” Lee said. “Nurses are the backbone of the VA. Saving pennies today will cost lives tomorrow.”
Vietnam veteran Jan Barry, 82, who is heavily reliant on the VA, shared his personal story with this paper. His health began to decline in 2020, and he was later diagnosed with Parkinsonism, related to Agent Orange exposure. He expressed concern that staffing cuts would further harm veterans like himself.
“I have Parkinsonism, which is different than Parkinson’s disease in two or three different ways. But I lost my balance, I lost memory, I lost the ability to remember names of food, ordinary items. I had to relearn how to walk,” Barry said. “And I also, for years, have been going to a veteran center regarding PTSD, so any cuts to these various services would be devastating to a lot of people.”
Protesters also voiced concerns about the ongoing privatization of VA services, which they argue could further weaken the department’s ability to provide high-quality, affordable care to veterans. A recent analysis from the VA’s “Red Team” revealed that $30 billion was spent on private-sector care in 2023, raising alarms that privatization could undermine the VA’s direct-care system, which millions of veterans rely on.
The rally also focused on the broader issue of federal workers’ rights, specifically collective bargaining. NNU and other labor unions representing federal workers have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration’s executive orders, which aim to strip over one million federal employees of their union rights.
“Union nurses understand that collective bargaining rights are fundamental to carrying out our critical role as patient advocates,” said Esteban Ramierez-Orta, an RN in infection control and local NNU director. “Nurses and other employees need union protections to speak out about patient safety issues to ensure the veterans seeking care at the VA get the highest quality of care.”
