Around 170 physicians and other medical workers have written to US congressional leaders and the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to warn that current policies will “negatively affect the lives of all veterans”. The letter, signed by doctors, psychologists and other health staff, is the first time VA clinicians have spoken collectively about staffing cuts and moves towards privatisation.
The signatories say they have witnessed ongoing harms and can provide evidence of their impact. They argue that if current trends continue, VA facilities may be forced to close, leaving veterans to rely on costlier community health systems that are ill-equipped to meet their specialised needs. They also criticise the rapid growth in outsourcing veterans’ healthcare to private doctors, which they say threatens to divert resources from the VA’s direct care.
VA officials dispute these claims. Press secretary Peter Kasperowicz said the VA is serving veterans much better under President Donald Trump than under the previous administration, pointing to infrastructure improvements and faster access to non-VA providers. VA secretary Doug Collins has said the changes are about giving veterans more choices for quality, timely healthcare.
Sixty-nine active VA physicians signed the letter, along with roughly 100 former VA doctors and researchers. Many chose to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. The letter, titled the “Lincoln Declaration”, does not mention Mr Trump by name but addresses changes during his second term. The VA treats nine million veterans at 170 medical centres and more than 1,000 outpatient clinics.
Tom Devine of the Government Accountability Project said the doctors’ letter is part of a wave of formal complaints from federal employees under Mr Trump, including at the EPA and Fema, where some workers have already been suspended. Several VA doctors who signed said they are willing to take that risk. Dr Dean Winslow, a retired air force colonel, called the VA “an excellent integrated system worth fighting for”, while Dr Lucile Burgo-Black said she signed out of concern for veterans with complex health needs.
