NAPLES, Fla — The local Indivisible group rallied Saturday, urging the Trump Administration to maintain VA funding, and you could see a large group with signs gathered right outside the Coastland Center in Naples. Fox 4’s Austin Schargorodski went there to hear their concerns firsthand.
Watch what protesters told Austin:
Drivers honked in support of more than 150 people rallying against proposed VA funding cuts - cuts they say could weaken the services veterans rely on. People explained why they felt the need to speak out:
“This is not what you do to veterans,” said one protester. “Veterans stood up for us, it’s time to stand up for them,” said a second. “It’s about doing what’s right for those who served America,” a third added. “Totally unacceptable and that’s why we’re here,” another concluded.
The Department of Veteran’s Affairs is considering cutting 80-thousand jobs, but the department says it’s a re-structuring to get staffing levels to where they were in 2019.
VA Secretary Doug Collins pushed back on claims that services are being cut. He says the department is protecting critical roles and even redirecting money toward veterans’ care.
Collins also addressed one of the most talked-about rumors directly — that the VA would lay off Veteran Crisis Line responders.
“We did not — hear me clearly — lay off any Veteran Crisis Line responders. They're still picking up the phone, they're still talking to you, and they're going to be,” Collins explained.
