Inside the VA Healthcare Worker Cuts: What Secretary Collins Tried to Hide
When Rep. Mark Takano confronted Secretary Collins about the VA’s internal plan to cut thousands of front-line health care workers, Collins didn’t deny the document. Instead, he whined that it was “pre-decisional” and “leaked.”
Let’s unpack that nonsense.
First—“leaked” just means we found out what he didn’t want us to know. That’s not an indictment of the leak. It’s an indictment of the VA healthcare worker cuts plan.
Second—“pre-decisional”?
Of course it was pre-decisional. If it wasn’t, those nurses would already have pink slips in hand. Calling it “pre-decisional” is just bureaucratic spin for plan. And saying, “Well, we hadn’t decided yet” doesn’t make it better—it makes it more dangerous.
That’s like hiring someone you think is a hitman to kill your spouse, and when it turns out to be an undercover cop, you say, “Wait! I didn’t go through with it—it was pre-decisional!” No, my friend. That’s still called attempted murder. You don’t get a free pass because you got caught before you pulled the trigger.
Collins’ plan to cut front-line health care workers is the very definition of VA healthcare worker cuts. That plan contradicts his public promises. And when he got caught, he didn’t apologize. He blamed the leak. He attacked the questioner. And he tried to sell us on the idea that intent doesn’t matter.
But intent is everything. Especially when it comes from the guy with the red pen and the budget axe.
