WATCH: In Senate Floor Speech, Kelly Speaks Against Mass Firings at the VA

Today, Arizona Senator and Navy combat veteran Mark Kelly took to the Senate floor to speak against the Trump administration’s mass firings of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employees, calling the move a reckless betrayal of veterans and the workers who serve them. Kelly urged for the immediate reinstatement of the terminated employees. 

Over the past month, thousands of VA employees—including doctors, therapists, and crisis line staff—were abruptly fired without warning, leaving veterans without the support they rely on. These layoffs impact the employees who care for veterans across the country, including Arizona’s more than 500,000 veterans, and could force longer wait times for care, delays in benefits, and cuts to critical mental health services. In response, Kelly joined Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) in introducing a resolution condemning these mass firings and calling for the immediate reinstatement of affected employees. 

Read key excerpts from the speech below: 

“We made a sacred promise to our veterans—that after their service, they would get the care and support they earned. That promise didn’t come with an expiration date. […] But with these mass firings at the VA, President Trump and Elon Musk are breaking that promise.” 

“We can all agree that the VA can do a better job, but aimlessly firing thousands of people will do nothing to help speed up veterans’ health care. It will just make accessing care more difficult.” 

“In Arizona, we’ve seen VA workers and the families who rely on the VA impacted in a real way. Like Brandy and David who shared their story with the Arizona family news and are both veterans themselves—who became loan specialists to help fellow veterans navigate financial hardships and avoid homelessness. Before they were fired, each of them was handling 1,500 cases. Each of those cases represents one veteran who needs help. How much longer will it take veterans in need to get answers?” 

“Donald Trump claims to care about veterans but then turns around and fires the very people whose job it is to ensure veterans get access to the care they need. The care that they earned from serving our nation.” “Is this really where Elon Musk and Donald Trump want to save a buck? Off the backs of veterans who have risked everything for us? […] This is not how the United States should treat our veterans.”

Click here to view and download Kelly’s remarks.