585 Canceled Contracts Included Those Supporting Implementation of Bipartisan PACT Act, Helping Veterans Exposed To Burn Pits Access Health Care and Benefits
Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal are leading a group of 18 senators in calling on the Trump administration to reverse its cancellation of 585 contracts with the Department of Veterans Affairs, including those that help veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxins access lifesaving health care. This care is guaranteed under the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act (PACT Act), which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and has provided care and benefits to over 1 million veterans. Contracts targeted for cancellation by the Trump administration help provide the necessary personnel and resources to conduct outreach to eligible veterans, screen applicants, and process claims. The senators are demanding that Trump reinstate all PACT Act contracts and commit to preserving all PACT Act-related programs in the future.
“Carrying out such arbitrary cuts and contract cancellations under the excuse of eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse is exactly the form of cynical action that prioritizes talking points about wasteful government spending rather than helping the veterans who have honorably served the American people. Any actions to hamstring implementation of the PACT Act – which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support – betrays our veterans and fully disregards congressional intent,” wrote the senators. “We ask that you take immediate action to protect and preserve all relevant programs, employees, and contractors in support of PACT Act implementation and ensure they remain unharmed by any further plans by you and DOGE.”
Gillibrand’s letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins was also signed by Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Alex Padilla (D-CA).
The full text of the senators’ letter is available here or below:
Dear Secretary Collins,
We ask that you immediately reverse your planned cancellation of contracts that support the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) ability to carry out the benefits and health care delivery promised under the bipartisan Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act (PACT Act) signed into law by President Biden. Specifically, if not reversed, the decision that you and Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”) made to cancel the VA’s PACT Act Enterprise Program Management Office contract will harm the implementation of life-saving care for the millions of veterans covered under the PACT Act. Impeding the implementation of this landmark law by terminating contracts and unlawfully firing program office staff as part of your unlawful mass terminations is an unacceptable betrayal of the sacrifice toxic-exposed veterans have made. We urge you to prevent any such impacts, promptly restore any terminated or descoped contracts, and provide clarity to Congress and our veterans on how you will ensure veterans continue to receive the health care and benefits they are entitled to under the law.
As you know, since the passage of the PACT Act in August 2022, more than 1.5 million PACT Act claims have been approved and more than 6 million total toxic exposure screenings have been provided, demonstrating the expansive number of affected veterans who may require PACT Act-related benefits and health care.1 These veterans suffer from acute illnesses directly associated with their military service, including over 11 different forms of cancer and 12 other illnesses. Managing these conditions for millions of veterans is a complex process, which requires the necessary personnel and contractors to screen veterans, process claims, and carry out outreach to ensure every veteran is aware of and receiving their benefits. Oversight of this work is enabled in part by the public PACT Act Dashboard that provides information on the law’s implementation status – and this critical tool must also be protected from being cut or downgraded. Your confusing announcement on March 3rd that 585 contracts would be cancelled — without providing information on which — has created more chaos and confusion as has the list of cancelled VA contracts listed on DOGE.gov. We demand you immediately provide Congress with a list of the 585 contracts you are terminating as well as a confirmation of the contracts on DOGE.gov that have been terminated.
In your testimony before the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs , you stated that “… [the Trump Administration] will not balance budgets on the back of veterans benefits,” and that you yourself understand burn pits because of your own service in Iraq.2 Carrying out such arbitrary cuts and contract cancellations under the excuse of eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse is exactly the form of cynical action that prioritizes talking points about wasteful government spending rather than helping the veterans who have honorably served the American people. Further, cutting contractors who support, and coordinate PACT Act implementation only complicates the bureaucratic process and creates a greater burden for veterans and their families, who should not be forced to navigate a complex system on their own.
Any actions to hamstring implementation of the PACT Act – which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support – betrays our veterans and fully disregards congressional intent. We ask that you take immediate action to protect and preserve all relevant programs, employees, and contractors in support of PACT Act implementation and ensure they remain unharmed by any further plans by you and DOGE. We demand that you not stand in the way of the committed career VA employees and stakeholders who are working to ensure that all veterans who are eligible will continue to receive timely and high-quality health care under the PACT Act.
Sincerely,
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