03.20.25 • Press Release
WASHINGTON— House Veterans' Affairs Committee Ranking Member Mark Takano issued the following statement following President Trump’s planned dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education.
"The Trump Administration's decision to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education will directly and adversely impact veterans and their earned benefits. Student veterans take out student loans to support the cost of college at nearly comparable rates to non-veterans. Student veteran borrowers have seen
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03.18.25 • Press Release
WASHINGTON — Ranking Member Mark Takano, who also serves as Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, released the following statement after the Department of Veterans Affairs announced it will phase out veterans’ treatments for gender dysphoria:
“This isn’t cost-cutting, it’s cruelty. Secretary Doug Collins is unilaterally restricting medical care for transgender veterans, ignoring the clinical judgment of VA providers that have prescribed this care and the expertise of all the major
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03.15.25 • Press Release
WASHINGTON — Ranking Member Mark Takano, who also serves as Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, released the following statement after the Veterans Health Administration rescinded a directive that ensured respectful delivery of healthcare to transgender and intersex Veterans:
“The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is supposed to ensure that every veteran is respected and supported after their military service—yet VA leadership is abandoning that mission and allowing veterans to
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03.13.25 • Press Release
WASHINGTON—Ranking Member Mark Takano (D-CA) responded to Judge William J. Alsup’s ruling that ordered six federal agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, to rehire thousands of probationary workers unlawfully terminated during the Trump administration:
"Judge Alsup's ruling rightfully recognized that these mass firings were, in the judge's own words, a 'gimmick' designed to circumvent proper procedures and protections for federal workers.
This ruling validates what we have
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03.10.25 • Press Release
WASHINGTON- Today, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (D-CA) released the following statement after the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) granted Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) employees a waiver from President Trump's return-to-office order:
"President Trump's reckless and poorly conceived mandate would put veterans' lives at risk. This was not simply a matter of administrative inconvenience - it’s a dangerous policy that could have had deadly consequences for
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03.06.25 • Press Release
WASHINGTON- Ranking Member Mark Takano and 65 House Democrats sent a letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins condemning the Administration's reckless dismantling of the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL), VA’s critical suicide prevention lifeline used by veterans in crisis and their loved ones. The line has received over 8.4 million calls since its creation in 2007.
Today’s letter comes in the wake of the Administration’s callous termination of over 2,400 VA employees and plans to terminate 83,000 more.
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03.06.25 • Press Release
WASHINGTON- Today, Ranking Member Mark Takano, Senator Richard Blumenthal, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and members of the House and Senate sent a joint letter to Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins denouncing VA's unconscionable Reduction in Force (RIF) memorandum that circulated on March 4th. Members are outraged by VA's reckless plan to gut its workforce by an estimated 83,000 employees through its Agency Reductions in Force (RIF) and Reorganization Plan (ARRP)
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03.05.25 • Press Release
WASHINGTON— House Veterans' Affairs Committee Ranking Member Mark Takano issued the following statement denouncing Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) latests decision to reduce its workforce by 83,000 employees.
"This deliberate dismantling of VA’s workforce by firing an additional 80,000 employees isn’t just dangerous—it’s an outright betrayal of veterans. Gutting VA’s staffing to pre-PACT Act levels will cripple the very system that millions of veterans rely on, denying them access to
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03.04.25 • Press Release
WASHINGTON— Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39) delivered the following opening statement as prepared at the House and Senate Committees on Veterans' Affairs joint hearing entitled, "Legislative Presentation of The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States & Multi VSOs: Paralyzed Veterans of America, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Student Veterans of America, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, The Elizabeth Dole Foundation, National Coalition for Homeless
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02.27.25 • Press Release
WASHINGTON— Today, VA Secretary Collins officially ignored a deadline to explain the abrupt and unlawful terminations of at least 2,400 VA employees- many of whom are disabled veterans, military spouses, and dedicated public servants. Despite a direct demand for answers from Ranking Member Takano (CA-39) and 89 House Democrats, Secretary Collins has refused to provide any justification for how these firings will not impact veterans’ healthcare and benefits—contrary to his claims.
After
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02.26.25 • Press Release
WASHINGTON— Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39) delivered the following opening statement as prepared at the House and Senate Committees on Veterans' Affairs joint hearing entitled, "Legislative Presentation of The American Legion & Multi VSOs: Minority Veterans of America, Jewish War Veterans of the U.S.A, National Association of County Veterans Services Officers, Military Officers Association of America, National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs, D’Aniello Institute for
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02.25.25 • Press Release
WASHINGTON— House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39) delivered the following opening statement at the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs full Committee Legislative hearing.
“In the audience and watching the livestream today, we are joined by former VA employees who were illegally and suddenly terminated by President Trump since he took office on January 20th. These are Americans, many of them veterans and military spouses, who are now unemployed, and I want to
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02.25.25 • Press Release
WASHINGTON— House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39) delivered the following opening statement at the House and Senate Committees on Veterans' Affairs will held a joint hearing entitled, "Legislative Presentation of Disabled American Veterans & Multi VSOs: AMVETS, Vietnam Veterans of America, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Blinded Veterans Association, Veterans Education Success, Gold Star Wives of America, Inc., and Reserve Organization of
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02.24.25 • Press Release
WASHINGTON— House Veterans' Affairs Committee Ranking Member Mark Takano issued the following statement denouncing Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Collins's latest decision to terminate more than 1,400 additional VA employees, following the initial dismissals of over 1,000 workers on February 13, 2025.
The Secretary's office has failed to comply with the Committee's requests for documentation regarding the identities, roles, and performance histories of the terminated
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02.19.25 • Press Release
WASHINGTON — As House Republicans continue to neglect their responsibility to hold President Trump accountable, House Democrats are demanding answers from VA Secretary Collins regarding the mass terminations taking place at VA.
To date, the Department of Veterans Affairs has failed to respond to numerous inquiries about the late-night firing of over 1,000 VA employees nationwide - many of whom are service-disabled veterans or military spouses.
Despite Secretary Collins’s claim that the
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02.14.25 • Press Release
WASHINGTON — Today House Veterans' Affairs Committee Ranking Member Mark Takano issued the following statement condemning Secretary Collins' recent dismissal of over 1,000 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employees:
"I am deeply disturbed by Secretary Collins' celebratory statement regarding the mass firing of more than 1,000 VA employees. This action demonstrates a shocking disregard for the dedicated workforce that serves our nation's veterans. Among those terminated were 100%
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02.06.25 • Press Release
WASHINGTON - Yesterday, Ranking Member Mark Takano and nine members of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee sent a letter to newly confirmed Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collinsto raise concerns regarding President Trump’s recent executive order for federal agencies to terminate all diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility programs and the impact it will have on veterans' healthcare services and VA’s ability to effectively serve all veterans.
The executive order,
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01.31.25 • Press Release
WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Mark Takano and Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Julia Brownley sent a letter to the Acting Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), demanding answers about the future of VA’s Center for Women Veterans and VA’s Center for Minority Veterans.
Ms. Lourdes Tiglao, Director of the Center for Women Veterans, and Mr. James Albino, Director of the Center for Minority Veterans, were removed from their offices on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, as the Trump
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01.29.25 • Press Release
WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Mark Takano made the following statement regarding the White House Office of Personnel Management’s email offering “buyouts” to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employees.
“Elon Musk thinks you are stupid and won’t see through his deceptive and fraudulent “buyout” offer. VA employees should ignore his email and send it to the trash bin. VA employees, thousands of whom are veterans themselves, keep the largest integrated healthcare system in the country
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01.28.25 • Press Release
WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Mark Takano wrote Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Todd Hunter, urgently seeking information about how new guidance from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, requiring agencies suspend payments to federal funding recipients by today, January 28, 2025, at 5 P.M., will affect veterans.
“The breadth of this hasty, ruthless, and irresponsible mandate will directly impact every community in America and will immediately jeopardize public health
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