Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) was one of several Senators who recently urged President Donald Trump and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins not to fire or lay off Veterans Affairs (VA) staff manning the Veterans Crisis Line.
The Veterans Crisis Line is the VA's hotline for veterans and their families to call in mental health crises, the new 988 extension signed into law in 2020.
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In the letter, Sen. Gallego said, "We write to you out of concern for the ability of the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) to continue to provide critical support to veterans and their loved ones. Over the past month, the Department of Veterans Affairs has fired more than 2,400 federal employees, including dedicated health professionals who operate the phones at VA's suicide crisis line. We urge you to take immediate action to ensure the Veterans Crisis Line is not disrupted by layoffs or other executive orders."
Additionally, Sen. Gallego asked that VCL workers who work remotely be exempted from the demand to work in the office, as this could affect veterans' ability to access help via the hotline immediately.
"You affirmed during your confirmation process your commitment to addressing the epidemic of veteran suicide and to reaching at-risk veterans. Risking the loss of access to immediate, life-saving mental health resources is not congruent with that promise. This is a critical time to ensure the VCL has the operational environment to support its substantial call volume and to support our veterans and save lives," the Arizona Senator continued.
Preventing veteran suicides was one of Gallego's key topics he questioned Collins about in his confirmation hearing in January, citing Arizona's Be Connected program, a state-level suicide prevention program, and the Phoenix VA's inability to maintain contractual funding.
Collins replied that suicide prevention programs "are the kind of programs I think are priorities," adding, "Budget items will match up to the priorities of what I want to have, and that is what I look forward to working with you and look forward to getting more information on that issue."
