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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 Administration continues its attack on VA’s workforce. Without leadership, these offices are unable to fulfill their legal duties to veterans and their families.
Ranking Member Takano said, “I am outraged over the abrupt termination of the directors of both the Center for Minority Veterans and the Center for Women Veterans at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and I am deeply concerned that VA has not communicated any details related to these firings to me or my staff. What is particularly insidious about the Trump Administration’s attacks on so-called ‘DEI-related’ government functions, is that the President is openly admitting he values racism and misogyny over serving our nation’s veterans. He would rather women and minority veterans have no place at VA than acknowledge their unique experiences and healthcare needs. Let me be absolutely clear: VA’s Centers for Women Veterans and Minority Veterans exist because Congress recognized--through a federal law enacted in 1994--the critical need to provide dedicated support to veterans from historically marginalized communities. The removal of these Directors isn't simply an attack on ‘diversity programs’ - it's an attack on congressionally mandated programs that help ensure all veterans can access their earned benefits.”
“VA has a solemn mission to provide the highest quality care for our nation’s veterans, which includes delivering gender- and culturally specific services critical to the well-being of women and minority veterans,” said Congresswoman Brownley, Ranking Member of the Health Subcommittee. “The unjustified firings of Lourdes Tiglao and James Albino send a clear, yet very detrimental message: this administration is not prioritizing the needs of all veterans, especially those who often face additional barriers to care, benefits, and resources. This decision not only harms veterans who rely on VA services, but also undermines the VA's ability to provide comprehensive, inclusive, and equitable care for all those who have served our nation.”
The full text of the letter can be found here.
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