King, Pingree condemn firings of 7 Togus employees, including 5 veterans

Yahoo

27-02-2025

Feb. 26—Members of Maine's Congressional delegation condemned the recent firings of seven employees at the Togus Veterans Administration Medical Center in Augusta, as new details about which employees were impacted came to light Wednesday.
The firings were "arbitrary and (made) without any strategic thinking," Sen. Angus King said in a written statement Wednesday afternoon.
The seven included five military veterans, said King, I-Maine. They were part of a sweeping attempt to downsize the federal government spearheaded by President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk.
The firings included at least one police dispatcher, a member of the veterans experience office and members of the logistics team, King said.
"Without a police dispatcher, there will not be someone to connect police and first responders as they respond to emergencies at Togus," King said. "Without logistics staff, there will not be anyone to distribute incoming supply orders; meaning medical departments across the hospital won't have timely access to the supplies they need."
The logistics team oversees tasks like keeping supply closets stocked with essential medical supplies and removing expired or recalled equipment, one Togus employee told the Press Herald. The employee did not give their name out of fear of retaliation but argued that potential equipment complications could undermine care, despite repeated claims by the Department of Veterans Affairs that cuts would not impact patient experiences.
Probationary employees at the Togus VA Medical Center were fired by email Monday night for alleged "poor performance" without warning, the Maine AFL-CIO said in a statement Tuesday. Probationary workers are those with two or fewer years on the job, but the label can also include more experienced workers who recently moved to a new agency or position.
Rep. Chellie Pingree, who represents Maine's 1st District, said the VA firings, like others by the federal government, were "reckless" and "without clear justification."
"It is unacceptable that Congressional offices continue to learn of such significant personnel decisions through news reports and affected constituents — only after the fact," Pingree said in a written statement. "The progress the VA has made to staff its health care facilities over the last 4 years should be built on, not erased."
A spokesperson for Rep. Jared Golden, D-2nd District, did not return messages asking for the congressman's reaction to the Togus firings.
VA Maine spokesperson Jason Carter said in an email Tuesday night that the cuts would "have no negative effect on veteran health care, benefits or other services. ... We cannot discuss specific personnel matters due to privacy concerns."
The Togus employee, who has worked at the VA for several years, said managers are urging workers not to speak to anyone, including their families and members of the media, about their concerns.
Maine's hospitals know their needs better than those in Washington and "deserve to be included in personnel decisions at their facility," Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said in a statement Wednesday. She said Togus officials did not appear to have been consulted before the cuts were announced.
Collins said she has been in touch with the Trump administration over the firings and defended the White House's right to make changes to services at the VA.
"But it needs to be taking a careful look at the agency's needs, not making sweeping, indiscriminate cuts — especially when we are dealing with something as critical as caring for our nation's veterans," Collins said.
Carter, the Togus VA Medical Center spokesperson, could not be reached by phone Wednesday afternoon and did not return emailed questions about the scope of the firings or details about those impacted.
Al Lipphardt, the national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, a national veterans service organization, said in a statement Tuesday that the emailed firings appeared "automated with little to no oversight or thought."
Veterans make up nearly one-third of the federal workforce, which is the largest employer of veterans in the country, Lipphardt said. He added that employment is a "social determinate of health" and is thought to reduce suicide, a significant concern among veterans.
"The American people are losing technical expertise, training and security clearances already bought and paid for by taxpayers," he said. "These veterans are now being told their skills are no longer useful to the government. We're losing people who are genuinely committed to the mission and find a continued sense of purpose in what they do."
David Bianculli, commander of the VFW's Portland post, echoed that terminations like these should be made "with care and consideration" rather than through a mass email notice. He also questioned the legitimacy of the five veterans' firings under federal law.
"In fact, because of their previous service, these veterans should not even be considered probationary if they were properly hired under the Veterans Recruitment Appointment," Bianculli said in a written statement.
Veterans Recruitment Appointment is a tool that allows federal agencies to give certain preferences to veterans when hiring for competitive positions. Those given preference through that tool may be subject to a shorter probationary period, but the specific status of those fired as it relates to the practice was not clear Wednesday.
The firings at Togus were part of firings at VA health care facilities around the country, according to local reports.
In addition to the VA cuts, Maine has seen hiring freezes announced at Acadia National Park and the Portsmouth Navy Shipyard. Collins later secured an exemption from the freeze for seasonal positions at the park, her office said.
Copy the Story Link