Latest news with #VeteranAffairs
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Politico list floats 'Democratic shadow cabinet' of political celebrities to combat Trump
Politico writer Bill Scher floated a list of 21 "heavy hitters" ranging from former Biden government officials to comedians on Tuesday to form a "Democratic shadow cabinet" to take on the Trump administration. Scher sought to look beyond the "presidential wannabes" and highlight "accomplished people with the ability to speak plainly and the credibility to puncture the Trump administration's often Orwellian narratives" for his list. One of his examples included New York Attorney General Letitia James serving as "shadow" U.S. Attorney General after her multiple lawsuits against President Donald Trump before and during his second term. Tim Walz Calls For 'Shadow Government' To Counter Trump Admin; Son Dunks On Former Veep Nominee "Perhaps the most effective Democrats in the country right now are the 22 Democratic state attorneys general tying up Trump's executive orders in the courts. But only one can say she won a civil fraud case against the Trump family business with a $450 million judgement, and that's New York's Letitia James," he wrote. Scher looked beyond politicians and former cabinet members for more unorthodox suggestions, such as comedian Jon Stewart for Secretary of Veteran Affairs and former Golden Globes host Nikki Glaser as Administrator of the Small Business Administration. Read On The Fox News App "OK, hear me out on this one. What is a comedian but a small business entrepreneur and traveling content salesperson?" Scher wrote. "Of course, Nikki Glaser's value to a Democratic shadow Cabinet is not her deep knowledge of how government regulations impact small businesses. It's that she has become America's Roaster-in-Chief, who can fearlessly pick apart the biggest celebrities from Tom Brady to Alec Baldwin." He also suggested Bill Nye to lead the Enviromental Protection Agency and for billionaire Mark Cuban to be the Secretary of Commerce. Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture Scher listed more conventional Democratic figures such as Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs as Secretary of Education and Virginia gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger as CIA Director. However, he also suggested Gisele Fetterman, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman's wife, as Secretary of Homeland Security based on her experience as an undocumented migrant. "As Trump continues on his aggressive deportation campaign, few in America can better personify and articulate what we lose when we vilify people who loved America enough to choose to live here," Scher wrote. Scher cited Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin's call for a shadow cabinet as part of her address to reform the Democratic Party. Rep. Wiley Nickels, D-N.C., also proposed a shadow cabinet in a Washington Post op-ed after Trump's election in article source: Politico list floats 'Democratic shadow cabinet' of political celebrities to combat Trump
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
NC nurse advocates for veterans healthcare as Trump's VA cuts loom
Mildred Manning-Joy waited 45 minutes for her prescription to be filled at the Veteran Affairs Durham Health Care Facility. She watched as a single person worked to take orders, fill prescriptions and service the window. 'That's way too much to ask of anyone,' Manning-Joy said. And as the line behind her continued to grow, she worried about the people who didn't have the time to wait. Manning-Joy isn't just a patient at the Durham VA. She's a nurse of 25 years, who works at the facility and is a member of National Nurses United, the largest union of registered nurses in the country. On Tuesday, she joined a group of NNU members and Rep. Mark Takano, a Democrat from California, for a briefing held over Zoom, to discuss the impact of the Trump administration on VA healthcare. Among the chief concerns noted in Tuesday's calls was an executive order signed by President Donald Trump preventing the collective bargaining rights of federal workers, a federal hiring freeze and proposed cuts by Veteran Affairs Secretary Doug Collins to reduce the VA workforce by 70,000 to 80,000 people. The Trump administration wants to cut 15% of the Veteran Affairs work staff to bring it back down to what it was in 2019, before COVID and The PACT Act took effect. The PACT Act is a law that provides veterans care after exposure to toxic chemicals, including those at Fort Bragg, who used the base's unsafe drinking waters. Earlier this month, Collins got into a heated discussion at a Senate hearing with Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, about the cuts. Collins claimed Blumenthal was trying to stir fear among veterans, and he defended the VA cuts, saying that healthcare remained a priority. Meanwhile, Takano introduced a bill this month, with 81 cosponsors, that would give VA workers back their collective bargaining rights. None of North Carolina's delegation has signed onto the bill. 'They don't want workers to organize,' Takano said, of the executive order. 'They know that there is strength in numbers, and they know that there is strength in unions. I know firsthand the power of unions, having been a member of one for many years myself. The whole idea is to either make working for VA so miserable that everyone quits, or to take away their grievance rights so they can fire dissidents without cause.' Monica Giles, a nurse from Alabama, said nurses aren't the only ones being silenced. Veterans are, too. 'We took an oath to take care of those who serve in our nation's military, and for their families, caregivers and survivors, and that is being stripped away with the stroke of a pen,' Giles said. 'But nurses aren't going anywhere, because we are afraid for our patients. We know if we leave our patients, they'll suffer.' Concerns for their patients took up the majority of the call. There was already a worker shortage due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and now with a hiring freeze and job cuts through attrition, workers are trying to fill in gaps. They talked about leaving patients for a half-hour to fill prescriptions or not having enough mental healthcare providers. 'Decades of scientific research show that when our RNs are forced to care for too many patients at one time, patients are at high risk of preventable medical errors, avoidable complications, falls and injuries, increased length of hospital stay and even death,' said Andrea Johnson, a nurse from San Diego, who spoke on the call. Patients also fear losing healthcare teams they spent years building to treat their needs. 'I ask each and every one of you to think about who ultimately is going to be impacted by the cuts of the VA: the veterans,' Giles said. 'They don't deserve to be stripped of the care they earned and have been promised.' Manning-Joy comes from a multigenerational military family and knows firsthand the importance of the specialized care veterans receive at VA facilities. That includes one-on-one time with providers as well as doctors and nurses who understand what veterans have gone through to leading technologies like prosthetics. And she said it was becoming a nurse for the VA that helped her understand why she loved her career so much. 'After just a few years working in the VA, I knew I could never go anywhere else,' Manning-Joy said. 'My coworkers and I have a deep love for our work and we want this to be the best place possible for our veteran patients.' That's why when she sees problems, she brings them up. She said her coworkers do as well. 'We are advocates for our patients, and that is why it is so important to us to have our protective rights to organize and bargain,' Manning-Joy said. 'There are times when we report things that don't get addressed. That's when we come together and collectively take action to protect our patients.' But she said over the past few months, more issues are going unaddressed. 'The hiring freeze and the firing of probationary employees have led to really severe staffing issues in our facility, and VA Secretary Doug Collins has now put forward a plan that could cut VA staff by 83,000,' Manning-Joy said. 'We have to get out in front of this. Any further cuts will lead to an unimaginable staffing crisis that will lead to worsening patients' outcomes.' Manning-Joy called Collins' plans to cut staffing 'really scary' and 'unfair to our veteran patients.' 'Veterans rely on the VA to get specialized care that comes with serving in the military,' Manning-Joy said. 'Our nurses are trained to have the experience to manage diverse needs of the population and these cuts will ultimately harm veterans. Fighting for our VA must be a top priority.'
Buzz Feed
19-05-2025
- Health
- Buzz Feed
Here's How MAGA Reacted To Joe Biden's Cancer Diagnosis
This weekend, it was announced that Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an "aggressive form" of prostate cancer. Biden and his family are "reviewing treatment options" with his physicians, his office said. Leading voices around the world quickly reacted to the news, including those of MAGA and republicans. Here's what they said: Donald Trump: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene: Donald Trump Jr.: Editor's Note: Dr. Jill Biden has a doctoral degree in Education, not medicine. Vivek Ramaswamy: Press Secretary Karonline Leavitt (who simply shared Trump's Truth Social post): Former Rep. Matt Gaetz: Far-right activist Laura Loomer: Secretary of State Marco Rubio: Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Mike Johnson: Attorney General Pam Bondi: And finally, Secretary of Veteran Affairs Doug Collins:
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Protesters rally in Elmira opposing federal cuts to veterans' benefits
ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) — Protesters gathered near a VA Clinic in Elmira opposing federal cuts to veterans' programs relating to Medicaid, Medicare and jobs of government employees. The protest was held on College Avenue near the clinic where more than ten people participated. The protesters brought signs with messages that said, 'Hands off of our VA' and 'Protect our Vets.' Some of the people shared criticism about healthcare benefits being cut and expressed support to veterans who served. 'The reason I'm here is to support veterans, but also to support the other issues that a lot of people are concerned about with this administration, which includes veterans benefits, Medicaid, Medicare, all the people who work in the government who have been let go and fire for no cause,' said Barry Short, a Vietnam veteran. Protesters gather in Watkins Glen opposing federal program cuts 'I think that any kind of cuts to the VA is immoral, and they deserve to get the health care and benefits that have been set up for them for years, hundreds of years,' added Nancy McGowan Lester. Another protester Margie Rodgers underscored the need for continued support to veterans. She expressed uncertainty about whether cuts have been made or are being threatened and hopes that the demonstration raises awareness. Below is a statement from the Veteran Affairs national office provided by the VA Finger Lakes Healthcare System: 'VA health care has been on the Government Accountability Office's high-risk list for more than a decade, and GAO says VA faces 'system-wide challenges in overseeing patient safety and access to care, hiring critical staff, and meeting future infrastructure needs.' Under Secretary Collins, VA is working hard to fix these and other issues. Unfortunately, many in the media, government union bosses and some in Congress are fighting to keep in place the broken status quo. Our message to Veterans is simple: Despite major opposition from those who don't want to change a thing at VA, we will reform the department to make it work better for Veterans, families, caregivers and survivors.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Local veterans, supporters demonstrate against DOGE cuts
RAVENNA, Ohio (WJW) – Veterans and their supporters representing thousands of employees of the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Cleveland and a Veteran Affairs clinic gathered outside of the clinic on Thursday to rally against proposed cuts. Veteran Affairs Secretary Doug Collins has already announced as many as 80,000 VA jobs could be cut. Cooperating with Elon Musk and DOGE, more than 2,000 jobs have already been eliminated, many of them probationary positions. More than $900 million in VA contracts are said to have been canceled. Thousands of chargers recalled after some consumers report fires, burn injuries But those demonstrating on Thursday believe the VA is already understaffed and everyone working there is important. 'We have been understaffed since I have been at the VA in 1999. There's always areas that have been understaffed. It's hard to get people with certain specialties to come to the VA because again you are not making the money you would make in the private sector, so it takes dedication to work some of these jobs,' said Alicia Jennings, who works as a police dispatcher for the VA. 'When he decides that it's time to fire the 80,000 more employees that he says he is going to do to bring it back to 2019 staffing levels, back in 2019 wait times were the longest that veterans have ever seen,' said military veteran Tim Hauser Hauser said he does not trust the commitments to veterans that have been publicly made by VA Secretary Doug Collins. 'It's extraordinarily difficult for me, especially as a VA leader and your secretary, to make these types of decisions, but the federal government doesn't exist to employ people, it exists to serve people,' Collins previously said in a public statement. 'We are not cutting healthcare and we are not cutting benefits.' West Side Market set to begin $70M improvement project But veterans gathered on Thursday worry that any cuts threaten to make the care they receive less efficient. 'All you have to do is try to see what it's like to get an appointment. It's better than it was several years ago, but you still have to wait,' said Vietnam veteran Brian McLafferty. Many of the veterans who were gathered in Ravenna on Thursday support making government more efficient but believe there is a more focused way of going about it. 'I mean, if you are going to look for efficiency, there's a lot of ways to do it. Just going and hacking heads and then trying to figure out what the effect is going to be later on is not the way to do it,' said McLafferty. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
