When Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins cut the ribbon this month for a new outpatient clinic in Chesapeake, Virginia, the event underscored the challenges facing the agency as it attempts to implement the Trump Administration's spending cuts.
This part of Virginia has one of the fastest growing veteran populations in the country, and the clinic is opening with less than a third of the staff it needs to run at full capacity. Collins has said the VA will increase staffing in stages.
Still, the region hasn't been spared from VA staff cuts. A dozen probationary workers were initially let go, while others have accepted buyouts. Collins has given the VA until August to cut 15 percent of its agency wide budget.
"It's a goal," Collins said of the cost cutting target. "It's not mandatory. Nobody has said it's got to be 15 percent. In fact, it may not actually get to 15 percent. But if we don't set a target for actually doing a hard look at who we are, then nobody's going to do anything."
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