Donald Trump said his administration fired thousands of “sadists” who failed to protect veterans while delivering remarks at Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday.
In a lengthy speech to celebrate Veterans’ Day, Trump took a moment to throw jabs at former President Joe Biden, whom he claims reinstated the thousands of employees from the Department of Veterans Affairs that Trump fired during his first term.
“We fired thousands of people who didn’t take care of our great veterans,” Trump said. “They were sadists. They were sick people. They were thieves, they were everything you want to name … When Biden came in, he hired them back. Many of them.”
During Trump’s first presidential term, he signed the 2017 VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act, promising to remove unethical managers from the VA and expedite veterans’ access to healthcare.
Under this act, the VA began dismissing employees without first offering a performance improvement plan, resulting in the suspension, demotion, and firing of thousands of officials within the department. The act was deemed a massive failure by many experts
The job cuts were condemned by Democrats in Congress, with Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal saying the Trump administration “launched an all-out assault” against progress the VA had made in expanding its services.
“Their plan prioritizes private sector profits over veterans’ care, balancing the budget on the backs of those who served. It’s a shameful betrayal, and veterans will pay the price for their unforgivable corruption, incompetence, and immorality,” he said at the time.
Meanwhile, Doug Collins, who serves as Trump’s Secretary of Veterans Affairs, said the massive layoffs were planned to reduce staffing back to pre-Biden levels. He said the department “has been a punching bag among veterans, Congress and the media for decades,” saying veterans “have been asking for a more efficient, accountable and transparent” for years.”
“There are many people complaining about the changes we’re making at the VA but what we most of them are really saying is, let’s just keep doing the same thing at the VA has always done,” said Collins. “We’ll be making major changes, so get used to it right now.”