Alex Padilla U.S. Senator for California

SAN DIEGO, CA — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and U.S. Representative Mike Levin (D-Calif.-49) 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.

“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.”

“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.” 

Padilla also joined registered nurses and veterans at the VA Medical Center-San Diego today to deliver remarks at a rally organized by National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU) demanding an end to the devastating VA staffing cuts.

Senator Padilla has strongly opposed the Trump Administration’s mass cuts and hiring freeze at the VA. Padilla is a cosponsor of the Putting Veterans First Act — comprehensive legislation to protect veterans, military spouses, and VA employees indiscriminately targeted by the Trump Administration and the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) cuts at the VA and across the federal government. He has also co-signed multiple letters to the Administration and joined a resolution condemning these VA cuts. Padilla and his Senate colleagues also called on the Trump Administration to reverse its cancellation of 585 contracts with the VA, including those that help veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxins access lifesaving health care as guaranteed under the PACT Act. In January, Padilla joined Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and 23 other Senators in demanding President Trump put veterans first and immediately exempt all VA employees from the Administration’s federal hiring freeze.

Additionally, last year, Padilla passed a bipartisan amendment into law to increase and streamline veterans’ access to HUD-VASH housing vouchers through the FY24 appropriations package. Padilla and Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) also led the Isakson-Roe Education Oversight Expansion Act, which was signed into law last year and will improve VA oversight to ensure veterans receive access to quality higher education from reputable institutions.

Video of Senator Padilla’s remarks from today’s roundtable is available here and can be downloaded here.

Additional photos from the roundtable and rally are available here.

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