Rep. Levin & Senator Padilla Host Roundtable with Veterans and Service Providers in San Diego to Highlight Impact of VA Cuts
Rep. Levin & Senator Padilla discuss importance of protecting essential VA benefits
San Diego, CA — Today, U.S. Representative Mike Levin (D-Calif.-49) and U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) hosted a roundtable in San Diego alongside veterans, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) service providers, and regional stakeholders to highlight the importance of protecting veterans’ benefits and discuss concerns regarding the Trump Administration’s plan for mass cuts to the VA workforce. The Administration is planning to cut more than 80,000 VA jobs, threatening access to the health care, housing services, educational opportunities, and other essential benefits veterans deserve.
The demand for VA services is high. The VA delivered a record number of health care appointments and benefits in 2024, including over 127 million appointments. Nearly 800,000 veterans have enrolled in VA health care since the Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act was signed into law in 2022, expanding VA benefits to those exposed to toxic substances. Padilla promised to continue fighting to defend these essential PACT Act benefits for the hundreds of thousands of now VA-eligible veterans.
Padilla also highlighted his bipartisan legislation introduced last week, the Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act, to ensure veterans experiencing homelessness and receiving disability payments maintain access to crucial housing support. California has the most veterans in the nation and was home to 28 percent of all veterans experiencing homelessness in the United States last year, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s January 2024 point-in-time count. There are 9,300 homeless veterans across the state, including 865 homeless veterans in San Diego, according to the same count.
“When Americans enlist, they swear an oath to defend our nation. And in return, we owe it to them to thank them for their sacrifice and take care of them after their service. Is this Elon’s way of saying thank you? With every day that goes by, more and more veterans are at risk of being fired,” said Representative Levin. “I won’t stand for it, and I will fight to ensure it won’t happen anymore. This constant chaos is eroding the public trust and is testing the limits of the American public’s patience. I want to be clear: I support efficiency as much as anyone and I don’t support bureaucracy for bureaucracy’s sake. But what Trump and Musk are doing is not making government work better, and on top of that it is unconstitutional. While the Trump Administration is hell-bent on cutting critical programs for our veterans, Senator Padilla and I are committed to serving them.”
“Veterans who have dedicated their lives to support our nation deserve our complete, enduring support, but they are facing serious threats as the Trump Administration proposes sweeping cuts to the VA workforce,” said Senator Padilla. “Our veterans earned their benefits through their service in uniform — and it’s offensive that they could now be on the chopping block. We should be doing more for our veterans, not less, and I’m going to keep speaking out against these indiscriminate, massive cuts and make sure our veterans can continue to access essential health care, housing, and education services.”
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