Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins said a senior Democrat needs to apologize to the department after wrongly suggesting it was curtailing research work on spinal cord injuries.
Mr. Collins said the VA’s spinal cord centers are operating during the federal shutdown and have not been affected by broader restructuring at the department.
“It’s a lie,” Mr. Collins told The Washington Times for “Sit Down with Swoyer,” a new podcast. “To imply that, in any way, that we’re cutting back on spinal cord injuries [work] and anything else is abysmal conduct from a senator.”
He was responding to remarks from Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, who last month said he feared trims at the department were hurting spinal cord services.
“As VA continues to bleed employees due to this secretary’s harmful policies, the services provided to people who are directly involved in [Spinal Cord Injuries and Disorders] are particularly at risk,” said Mr. Blumenthal, himself a veteran. “I am very disturbed at how Secretary Collins has failed to provide any credible assurances that he’ll fight to preserve access to SCI/D care at VA – which, even before these cuts, needed bolstering and expanding.”
Mr. Collins said the claim was “hurtful” to the VA.
“He ought to apologize, frankly, especially when he’s one of the ones cutting off funding to the federal government,” Mr. Collins said.
