i like many other came to the va because we like the va clinical environment and the mission that has been entrusted to us. i believe that va's mission is the greatest of all federal agencies. the goal of the current administration, flurry of executive orders regardless of whether it's eliminating telework or enacting hiring freezes or potentially replacing us at 1 to 4 ratio is ultimately forcing federal employee reduction so as to turn more va care over to the private sector with the results of diminishing the quality of care that we internally can provide because if you have 3 of 4or nurses leave despite being on excluded list, these nurses can go to another job but under va policies, manager wills not be allowed to hire enough nurses back quickly enough at the rate enough in order to replace them. 75% of the members reported that they need more administrative staff, 77% reported vacant positions that they have not recruited. these will only make things worse. vacant positions need to be funded and filled. to fill the need of the population, to fill the need of aging vietnam popula

the va. need to talk to the we are here to stand with you every step of the way and i know that all of our colleagues and brothers otand sisters are goin to stand with you. we need to send a loud message not just today but and until we get the job done. we want to get the job done. thank you and i would like to bring up my dear sister to share a few words. >> my name is mj burke on the first executive vice president of the afge national va council, probably representing 280,000 employees we like the mission that has been entrusted to us i believe that va's mission is the greatest of all the federal agencies. the goal of the current administration executive orders without eliminating hello acting b as to turn more va care private sector with the result of diminishing the quality of care that we internally can provide because, if you have three or four va or nurses leave, despite being excluded list, these nurses can go to another job but under current va policies, managers will not be able to

always have the va as a backup. ead the intent of the mission act at the end of the day is how to make veteran care available to the veteran who needs it in the intent of the congress which i pass that's my intent as well for. >> representative as an answer to what i ask you? >> yes it is. we'll have the intent were going to follow that parts going to be day one understanding that is where we are there but nothing's going to hold out for. >> only highlight i mentioned geography is lots of other concerns and veterans accessing care. i would highlight the importance mission acts can play with high risk mental health. we need to make certain it's available when they do true? >> yes mr. chairman that is key. using this all across. you can see in jordan has a physical disability, she cannot walk people look at jordan and have immediate sympathy someone commence at trouble thinking clearly or my brain is not working right we tend to repulse i want to condition the va in intercommunity caregivers are drawing near suicide pr

you can appeal the va's decisions. in fact, there are at least 6 avenues for appeal on the chart behind me you can see through these, and we're happy to talk about ways with the majority if we can make these notices. and appeals more accessible to vets, more accessible to them, figure out how they can get through this process again. we want to make sure we are taking care of our veterans. so once this determine of incompetency has been made, there have been notices for contrary evidence. it's gone through several layers of review, then you are determined. to be incompetent to handle your own affairs. and the va complies with the administrative procedures act, the nics improvement amendments act, and the 21st century cures act and their notifications to veterans about the ramifications of this decision. that is when you get reported to nicks. it's my understanding, however, that even if we take away the notification to nicks, that does not. automatically give you the right to own a firearm. you have already been deemed i

we have a lot of veterans who work in the va. s and the tools to transition to civilian life so that they can then be product productivein their post militarr and that builds up everybody. this goes back to retention, it goes back to recruitment and goes back to the finalization of making the veteran for the service they give, the benefits they earn are not going to miss a beat. maria: and anything you want to say about the veterans hospitals and improving the care there? >> that's going to be -- that's one of my biggest issues right now, one of the largest. most people don't realize we're the largest nonmilitary agency in the federal government, the va is, we have 470,000 employees even with what we talked about this morning and the vha, the healthcare system is one of the largest healthcare systems in the country so we're looking right now to see how can we use what congress is given through the mission act, through the community care program, the va hospitals, clinics and i've told this to the senate when i was confirmed. i bel

so the va, i was involved in the creation of the mission act. one of the components by which a person can be referred to community care is what is in the best interest of the veteran. and we intentionally defined best interest of the veteran to be determined by the veteran and his or her provider, not an administrator at the va, so that the decision is made on the best health care interest of the veteran, not on the financial well-being or the caseload of the va. i mean, i am all interested in seeing the law is complied with. and that is what i've spent so much time trying to convince in recent months the va to utilize the mission act in the way that it was not only intended, but in many instances, actually written. so we are trying to get the law to be the law and i appreciate the testimony that we heard today. i think there is a take away for me and i hope others, that this is particularly important when it comes to mental health, suicide ideation, all the care for veterans matters, but there are certain things in which the timeliness and the

but if we lose 75% of the va workforce, the v.a. workforce, we will no longer be able to make good on that promise. when we needed them to defend our freedoms, they were there. but now that they need us to make good on our promise to care for them, we won't be there. that is outrageous. that cannot happen. we simply cannot allow that to happen in this country. this administration must pump the brakes on everything they are doing to the federal workforce, because there are unacceptable consequences, just like what is happening to american veterans right now. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. sen. blumenthal: thank you. and now another great colleague, maggie hassan of new hampshire. [applause] sen. hassan: well, thank you. i am here today because granite staters are deeply alarmed by the trump administration closely reckless actions to we the v.a. while we can never fully repay our veterans for the sacrifices they've made, we have an obligation to try every day, and one of the ways we can try is by making sure that our veterans hav

va. >> yeah. look, this is this is a small number in comparison to the entire va workforce.,000 employees. so it's not necessarily something that that is widespread, but we still don't really have a handle on who these folks are. va's press release, as you said, says they're not mission critical folks. but i've already gotten calls from a few sources saying that at least one employee from the veterans crisis line was laid off. that it's someone who was not in a position where they're answering, answering calls of suicidal veterans, but they are providing support services. so we don't we just don't know exactly what these cuts are and who they are, how deep they'll get into veteran services. >> leo, one of the things that i wanted to talk to you about was the sort of distance between what the administration is telling us and what reporting is telling us is actually the impact of the treatment of the va thus far. so very early on, after trump was sworn in, we got news that they had changed their mind on the hiring freeze as it applied to va and people coming in to work in va h

>> yeah. >> look, lots of concerns, lots of concerns about that from the veterans community. now, vas already working with va, that they're only looking at contracts. they're not looking at sensitive veterans data. they have tried to react to that and to put out there. but you've seen what's happened with some of the allegations in other departments, other agencies. you know, there's just a worry that that anything that is being done by the department of government efficiency, is that going to be the extent could that very easily go into some of these, as you said, these sensitive personal medical data, benefits data, things like that, folks just aren't sure. so i think, you know, i think va has tried to stamp that out, but but what i'm hearing from the veterans community is we're watching closely. we're really worried about what might happen next. >> leo shane, deputy editor at the military times. leo, i read absolutely everything you publish. i think your work, as always, is just invaluable. and long may you wave. stay on this beat forever, my friend. the country

what did it mean to you to be working at the va? >> so i have dedicated my entire adult life to serving our nation's veterans and to the department of veterans affairs. um, it was something that was my passion. um, and because it impacted my entire life, um, greatly. and it still impacts me, you know, being married to an air force active duty, um, airman. and so, um, it started when i was younger. um, i actually at the age of 11 years old, when my mom worked at the va. um, and she actually retired in 2022 from the va of over 37 years of federal service as well. um, she had me started working as a volunteer at 11 years old and helping veterans, um, around the hospital and navigating to their appointments. and then when i turned 18 years old, i said, this is something that i want to do. i want to help our nation's veterans because i feel like they are the people who need care the most, and that they deserve it the most. um, and so in the last 15 years, i have dedicated everything that i have, um, and ensuring that our veterans are give

even if these trials are successful, it would be years before the va could prescribe either drub g forr help, they're attending psychedelic retreats in countries where the drugs are legal to use, mostly in indigenous ceremonies. this past march we were invited to join nine veterans who traveled to the west coast of mexico for a psychedelic journey they hoped would finally help ease their pain. he had came to mexico from all over the united states. a group of nine veterans with invisible wounds that are hard to heal. their destination, a remote village near puerto vallarta for a week-long psychedelic retreat. it was a voyage into the unknown, but a risk worth taking for t.j. duff, a former navy sailor. >> are you optimistic? >> being optimistic is hard for me because i've been through a lot of therapy, a lot of different treatments, and not a lot of success. >> reporter: duff was 18 when he joined the navy. months into his first deployment aboard the "uss cole" he says he narrowly escaped death when two suicide bombers attacked the ship in yemen, killing 17 sailors. >> everyone around m

we have raised these issues in more than 20 letters that i've sent to the va secretary, as the ranking member, as i am on the va committee demanding answers because the ones getting clobbered and a thousand people have been fired are the probationary employees, many of them younger veterans who are coming to the va with future careers of serving our veterans and the ones being hurt are the veterans themselves. we're receiving reports from all around the country about cardiology, mammograms, mental health services being delayed or denied, benefits being not. >> because of the. >> cuts, the pack act because of these cuts. we're receiving reports of services being delayed or denied, and they are essential. for example, the veterans crisis line suicide prevention efforts, these kinds of services literally are often a matter of life and death. and our veterans who are our heroes and have served our country, need and deserve better. that's why i have urged that these cuts in in spending and the hiring freezes be rescinded. >> yeah, they let some of those crisis line folks go trying to get th

thank you for your service at the va. we really appreciate your time today. >> yeah, i appreciate it too. and i you know, i just like to say a lot of the times the word layoff is being thrown around for what's happening. i want to be clear. these are these are terminations. we've been denied the protections that most people get during reductions in force. and we were terminated due to a technicality that they found a loophole. and it's, you know, my belief that it's a matter of time until they find more loopholes to deny more people their benefits. and, you know, the services that we enjoy from the federal government. >> that is a concern broadly held by people, even still, who are employed in the federal workforce. i've been hearing it. andrew, again, thank you so much. we really do appreciate it. and still to come, officials in canada giving an update on the delta jet that crashed and flipped over as newly obtained footage shows, the very moment. >> plus, covert drone missions over mexico. what we're learning about the c

that's what the we do here at the va. so these are the kind of things working and so for people to say that they are upset by people coming in and looking for efficiencies, that's about like blaming the plumber who comes in your house and says by way if you want to lower your water bill i'll fix this leak and then you blame the plumber for the high cost. we need to fix the leak. we need to fix the process and make sure we're doing what we're supposed to be doing because it's taxpayer dollars paying this , taxpayer dollars that fund what we do and it's for our veterans here at the va. liz: sure is. secretary doug collins we appreciate you so much. joining us tonight good to talk to you again, now please listen to this. >> if the president of the united states says, you know what? i don't care what the courts say. i'm going to do whatever the hell i want. that's essentially the end of the rule of law. >> then what's next? if they do defy a court order. >> the first thing you'd do be to go back to the court and hold the admin

at newday, we've been granted automatic authority by the va to make our own loan-approval decisions. ad credit challenges and missed a payment along the way... ...you're more than five times more likely to get approved for the newday 100 va cash-out loan. no one knows veterans like newday usa. (anncr) call 1-844-979-2694. >> kayleigh: the trump administration as heading to court today is 19 states attorneys general including new york's latetia james has sued to stop elon musk and doge from accessing treasury department records. that's big. a lot of spending payments go through that system so they need access to do their job. and they claim that giving doge excess puts american sensitive financial information at risk. bryan llenas is outside the u.s. district court here in new york city with the latest. brian. >> kayleigh, good afternoon. in less than an hour letitia james will speak to the press outside federal court. she is leading an effort by 19 state ag's who are trying to permanently block elon musk and doge from being up to access the majority of u.s. government spending dollars

the messages that they are waging a war and veterans, acting willy-nilly layoffs at the va, and since veteran and virginia as a veteran heavy state, that's the way it feels at home. cutting research, cutting health clinics, cutting head start programs. the inspector general firing. the message out of the gate is this is a group of people that want to pad their own pocket. they're going to cut things to try to amass a lot of dollars that they will then used to do tax cuts for the wealthiest. that is the playbook we saw in the first trump term and i think you're seeing it again. >> shannon: oh eight to hear the words of the new elected president. they deserve a government on their side but they don't want a government that wastes money, that costs more and is less. they voted for change, they wanted a literal revolution in the way the government operates, not you and i must deliver. that was bill clinton in 1993 talking to his cabinet pay one of the first things he called for was a reduction of 100,000 federal employees. and he went way beyond that in his eight years. >> sen. kaine: and

as a surgery intern in the boston va providing care to our heroes and we are here to stop the illegalg for use which will then become the funding cuts that president trump and elon musk are doing to the va. i want to thank everybody who's here and all the veterans and workers who provide care to provide counseling to process the benefits and all the services and programs that our veterans rely on. it's illegal because congress under the

at newday, we've been granted automatic authority by the va to make our own loan-approval decisions. it challenges and missed a payment along the way... ...you're more than five times more likely to get approved for the newday 100 va cash-out loan. no one knows veterans like newday usa. (anncr) call 1-844-979-2694. i had the worst dream last night. you were in a car crash and the kids and i were on our own. that's awful, hon. my brother was saying he got life insurance from ethos. and he got $2 million in coverage, all online. life insurance made easy. check your price today at ethos.com. between molly leaving and mom's osteoporosis, i thought life was gonna slow down. boy, was i wrong. if you have postmenopausal osteoporosis and are at high risk for fracture, evenity® can help you rapidly build new bone in just 12 months. evenity® is the only bone builder that also helps slow bone loss. and it's proven to significantly reduce spine fracture risk. she said the evenity® she's taking builds new bone. builds new bone! (squeak) so...yeah...we still bike, babysit, and brunch with the ladie

missed a payment along the way... ...you're more than five times more likely to get approved for the newday 100 va. no one knows veterans like newday usa. (anncr) call 1-844-979-2694. your pride and joy is measured in acres. keep them looking their best with the kubota lineup. versatile sidekick utility vehicles. the number one selling compact tractor in the u.s. and clark. and if you have both medicare and medicaid, i have some really encouraging news that you'll definitely want to hear. depending on the plans available in your area, you may be eligible to get extra benefits with a humana medicare advantage dual-eligible special needs plan. most plans include the humana healthy options allowance. get $1200 a year. that's $100 each month help pay for eligible groceries, utilities, rent, and over-the-counter items like vitamins, pain relievers, first-aid supplies and more. the healthy options allowance is loaded onto a prepaid card each month. and whatever you don't spend, carries over from each month. you pay nothing for covered prescriptions, all year long. even name brand drugs. all plans have $

at newday we've been granted automatic authority by the va to make our own loan approval decisions. ad credit challenges and missed a payment along the way, you're more than five times more likely to get approved for the newday 100 va cash out loan. no one knows veterans like newday usa. >> martha: breaking right now president trump making a lot of news inside the oval office as we speak. he is in there with reporters saying that he would like -- the most recent headline, to shut down the education department by executive order if he can do that. we will bring you the video as soon as we get it, there is a lot on iran, a lot on the u.n. that has just broken moments ago so we will turn that around in moments. also breaking today about a dozen illegal migrants headed to guantanamo bay where they will be held at the detention facility, thousands more are expected to follow as they use it as a holding area for migrants who will either be processed or go back as a new national security effort sweeps into action in full force on the southern border. encountering more than 10 million migran

what's more important to me is that we helped va improve the quality of the benefits and services that they provided to veterans. my staff and i were just passionate about helping va improve, so we did that through looking at all the various programs and operations of va, and i think we were very successful in doing so. and as you pointed out, i met with the transition team beforehand. again, my goal was to make sure this administration was as well prepared to manage a very complicated agency, which va is, and the meeting was very professional and productive, and there was no indication that they were not happy with what the what the work we did. >> well, i know, i mean, you know, a new chief of the va had even emailed you to set up a meeting after taking over before you were fired. so it wouldn't seem that that they knew either. but, you know, now you've got elon musk and doge in there, right? so it seems to be that they say, well, what you were doing 45 billion, whatever. that's nothing in their mind. they say that doge is going to come in and doge is going to slash and review operat

talk to a nurse the other day who works at the va, and she was concerned not primarily about her own job. she was concerned about the impacts this would have for the veterans that she takes care of. i met the other day with researchers from cornell university and binghamton university, who are doing cutting edge, really important research on children's cancer and lung diseases, and they're very concerned about the impacts of this. there are grants that go to our firefighters across our district, uh, who are working so hard and struggling. and all of that is at stake with doge. for what? so the elon musk and his billionaire buddies can get more tax cuts and more government subsidies. it's everything that's wrong with politics. when we talk about the deck being stacked against people. that's exactly what this is. the richest man in the world, going into the pockets of that nurse at the va, going into the pockets of those kids who need that research, going into the pockets of my firefighters across upstate new york and grabbing their money so that he can line his pockets even more so. on

they're going wil willy-nilly at layoffs at the va. 0% of the federal workforce is a veteran and virginia is a veteran heavy state, that is the way it feels at home cutting research. cutting health clinics. heading head start programs. the inspector general firing, the message out of the gate is this is a group of people who want to pad their own pocket. they're going to cut things to try to amass a lot of dollars they're then going to use you tax cuts for the wealthiest. and that is the playbook was on the first trump term and think you're seeing it again i want to redo the words newly elected president, the people demanded deserve a government on their side. they do not want to government that wastes money, and government that cost more in does less they voted for change they won eight literal revolution and the way the government operates and now you and i must deliver. that was bill clinton in 1993 talking to his cabinet. one of the first thing thing tol that was a reduction of 100,000 federal employees. he went way beyond that in h

your spouse has earned the right to apply for a va home loan. the newday 100 loan allows you to borrow up to one hundred percent of your home's value. so, if you're in a situation where you need some help financially, give us a call. (vo) call 1-844-809-1393. at patriot mobile, we take the word service to new heights. serving customers with top tier mobile service is our business, but our mission is to honor and serve patriots, like harry mcbrien. post 911. my life oscillated between multiple tours with the marine corps and my police job, profoundly disrupting my health and changing who i was. harry reached out to the boot campaign, which offers individualized care to veterans and their families. the boot campaign's intervention was a lifeline. now, after 28 years on the police force, i'm retiring. my mission now is to is served. veterans and first responders. patriot mobile gives back to organizations that defend our god given rights and freedoms. with dependable nationwide coverage on all three of the major u.s. based networks. you get the same

at newday we've been granted automatic authority by the va to make our own loan approval decisions. t challenges and missed a payment along the way, you're more than five times more likely to get approved for the newday 100 va cash out loan. no one knows veterans like newday usa. i had the worst dream last night. you were in a car crash and the kids and i were on our own. that's awful, hon. my brother was saying he got life insurance from ethos. and he got $2 million in coverage, all online. life insurance made easy. check your price today at ethos.com. >> martha: >> there will be a men's opposition from entrenched interests from sucking away vast amounts of taxpayer money and they will like the fact that they are not getting it anymore. they will fight tooth and nail so it has to be done. >> martha: that is pretty much what we are seeing. elon musk burst onto the political scene late last year and fast forward to today where he is the top-secret security clearance and is leading the effort to massively streamline the spending of the federal government. how do trump voters who we've

at newday we've been granted automatic authority by the va to make our own loan approval decisions. if you've had credit challenges and missed a payment along the way, you're more than five times more likely to get approved for the newday 100 va cash out loan. no one knows veterans like newday usa. >> bill: back at it now. snow in our nation's capital. president trump poised for another cabinet victory today. tulsi gabbard slated for a final senate confirmation vote later this morning. she is trump's pick to be dni, director of national intelligence. voting was delayed due to snow hitting the capitol. key republicans on the senate side, she is confirmed as the 14th cabinet member and bring it to you when it happens in washington, d.c. another one now. president trump's former lawyer, todd blainch on the hill. trump tapped him to serve as the second highest ranking justice department official. democrats likely to press him on loyalty to the president. he was the president's lawyer for that case here in new york and david spunt knows that all too well live at d.o.j. now. david, good mo

but what are you hearing about this now, as we're hearing from the va and the new secretary of the va himself. >> and he goes on. >> that's right. they did. well, i'll say i'll put it this way. they had so far been trying to say that all of these federal workers, many federal workers, were going to be given that option to go on paid leave. and really, up until this week, all of the layoffs or so-called layoffs, i should say that we've seen have been for paid administrative leave. this is different. these are firings. and we did report last week that they were expected, but they are really beginning to come in huge numbers across all of the federal government. now, you mentioned some of the agencies we know, as you said, at the department of veterans affairs, but we also know the department of education, the department of energy, the small business administration, all of them also, in addition to other agencies really facing this same problem. now, the new reporting we have is who was targeted in this recent, you know, round of layoffs. and it was mainly probationary federal workers, e

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at newday, we've been granted automatic authority by the va to make our own loan-approval decisions. ad credit challenges and missed a payment along the way... ...you're more than five times more likely to get approved for the newday 100 va cash-out loan. no one knows veterans like newday usa. (anncr) call 1-844-979-2694. when you're in the military you're really close with your brothers and your sisters that are in the military with you. and when you get out of the military, you kind of lose that until you find a new family. we can talk about our struggles and the things that we did overseas and not everybody can do that. adam! how's it going, brother? we live pretty close to each other. so he's always coming over. when i go to jack's house, we watch a lot of football, hang out. we go outside the friendship has kind of grown into a family i was overseas on a deployment. i got separated from my marines and i got hit in the neck, and it broke my neck and paralyzed me. 14 years ago, i was on a training mission. did a military freefall, and i had some faulty equipment. i hit the ground.

at newday, we've been granted automatic authority by the va to make our own loan-approval decisions. nt along the way... ...you're more than five times more likely to get approved for the newday 100 va cash-out loan. no one knows veterans like newday usa. (anncr) call 1-844-979-2694. >>> homeland security secretary christine gnome telling migrants in the u.s. illegally they have an option to deport themselves before the feds do it for them she also has a warning for anyone thinking at this point sneaking in across the border. >> if you try to enter illegally you will because you will be removed and you will never return. follow the law and you will find opportunity. >> martha: lets bringing townhall.com editor and tommy laren both fox news contributors and megan hayes former biden obama advisor and state department official. great to have you all. i would like to start by playing joe biden, this is called for a number to firm the abc news democrat debate in 2019. watch. >> all those people are seeking asylum they deserve to be heard that's who we are we are in nation whose as if want

a question of comparison and the question, is he making the va better or worse? wasn't just an eccentric tech billionaire calling for the government to be more efficient. republicans will point out that former presidents obama and clinton launched their own campaigns to shrink and make more efficient the size of government. so, again, from the perspective of the trump white house, this is going according to plan and they're happy. alicia: even though so much of this is ending up in the courts, is this still a win for the trump administration that that's happening now? >> right now the trump plan is to flood the zone and go as quickly as possible. we heard from the president he's going to be respecting the injunctions from the courts, once the doge goes in one court, they pop up in another. and they're moving the central issues to the voters and elon musk is delivering what donald trump promised on the campaign trail. alicia: as you know, the senate is set to vote on fbi director nominee kash patel. this is happening, controversial picks rfk, jr. and tulsi gabbard

we are making a difference here at the va. >> carley: secretary, speaking of efficiency in president ned regarding the va is he made it easier for bad employees to be fired and right now there is a lot of pink slips flying around in washington and a representative for doge, the depa department of government efficiency is working with the department of v.a. how will that impact services and what do you think needs to be done to make veterans affairs more efficient? >> well, look, i want to make sure everybody understands this one thing clearly. representatives helping us look at our contracts and it development. the one thing they're helping us do is make sure we are taking care of veterans. for all that is being said around the hill that doge is getting in the way of veterans or that we're not -- is just flat wrong. what we're doing is making more efficient so our veterans get the benefits that they have earned. that's where we are really working. efficiency system you still have back clog logs for folks get healthcare. where have you backlog to get their v.a. benefits. these are thin

with automatic authority from the va... ...we can say “yes” when banks say “no.” give us a call.kennedy. he wants to question the science, the essence of the scientific method is about always questioning the science. >> dana: robert f. kennedy, jr. plans to do that. the secretary is calling for a fresh start at the agency. listen. >> we will con convenient representatives of all viewpoints to study the causes for the drastic rise in chronic disease. some of the possible factors we'll investigate were formerly taboo. nothing will be off limits. >> dana: he wants to look at you will extra process food. child vaccine schedule. antidepressants and micro plastics. >> how much do you believe, elon, you have identified in waste, fraud, abuse corruption now and how much do you anticipate you will? >> sure, >> president trump: 1%. no, it's so massive. this is huge money. huge money. as good as they are, they won't find some contract that was crooked as hell. there will be so much isn't found. what is found i think he will find a trillion dollars. >> i think so. >> president trump: it's a

and particularly with what we do for our veterans. >> veterans deserve the. >> very best services and benefits. vaes. they give out about $180 billion of benefits. you start cutting people who are involved in those efforts. then you may be hurting veterans. >> all right so what's the what's the case that you've got right now. the merits of the case are that you were fired incorrectly. correct. >> we got a two sentence email on friday night, january 24th, under the law. and this is something congress felt very strongly about. the president does have the right. >> to remove. >> igs, but if the president wants to remove igs, he's got to do at least two things. one is give the congress 30 days notice. this is so congress can decide whether or not they want to talk to the president about it. and secondly. give a detailed case specific reason why they're firing again. so congress has more information and the public has more information. if we didn't do our job, we should be replaced. and so neither of those were done in this situation. it's a clear violation. >> of the law. >> and that's why we brought

of employees were fired yesterday across numerous agencies, including the department of education, the vathe small business administration and the consumer financial protection bureau. but a judge today hearing a suit filed by a group of unions seeking to block the mass firings at the cfpb. >> federal workers across the nation. we keep the country running. >> this plus a new lawsuit from 14 states aimed at stopping elon musk and his new department of government efficiency from making funding decisions to overhaul federal agencies, including asking for a pause on these mass firings. that case, going before u.s. district court judge tanya chunkin, the same judge who had been presiding over trump's federal election interference case until she dismissed it a couple of weeks after the election. and abc news learned that hundreds of employees at the agency responsible maintaining the u.s. nuclear stockpile were also impacted by these layoffs, but that the agency quickly tried to pause those layoffs out of concerns over national security. maryalice parks, abc news, washington. >> ukrainian presi

then i have to let know what the va will have that the more that i know, no problem, we're not finding them. see what the because then he said you're going to use the 19 to use so i'm going to do it the land that will do the beautiful site walk i'd find to be so with that bella model, i think you might know who she was off. why did you or the fonts, the, the, the one p that, that, that the enforceability. if i lose those done, this us the ability to send the data. so that's even possible to do this. oscar. it is on my duty. there is a dove. and for you, i see lately, politically, over to now, you will not say it, but you're in for the plus side where it won't go through you move on to what they've gone. but as you may not, they even get into the police had the development. so that, uh a lot then the panel mm. it's empty. done in the god. oh uh huh. one year my lord or that old 2 men saying, well man, unify, jesse, i didn't do you find the tone then the last name? i didn't leave, i gave them to to let me pull that one because some poor guy, but that one would be a full impact for my kid

andrew and i serve as the chief of safety and emergency management at the philadelphia va. this was a mission critical role that ensured the health and safety of all those who entered into our facilities. from the doctors, nurses, support staff, veterans and veterans families. our goal was to be sure that the environment of care was free of hazards and anything that could create a hazardous condition for a person in that hospital. i chose public service because my mother worked 30 years for the va medical center in new orleans. as a kid, i said, one day i'll work at the va. ten years in the navy. i spent some time also working in private sector, and then the opportunity presented itself, and i gladly accept it. as a safety professional, safety isn't just about policy and compliance, but it's about care. and when that care is strong, it is the highest expression of honor that we can provide to our veterans. >> the first time i experienced vertigo, the room was spinning like i was in a clothes dryer. then i started taking lipo balance support. its ingredients are clinically sh

democrats protested outside the va. >> nine million veterans are watching you give them the middle finger, and we're not going to stand for it. >> reporter: u.s. officials have also confirmed that doge employees are examining the irs. though yesterday president trump told reporters he doesn't plan to close the agency. >> i think that the internal revenue service will be looked at like everybody else. >> reporter: on a jam-packed thursday that included meetings with india's prime minister, the president also signed an executive order directing his administration to look at imposing receives to match those that other countries put on u.s. goods. critics warn it could hurt efforts to fight inflation. >> prices could go up short term, but prices will also go down. >> reporter: the president argued those reciprocal tariffs would level the playing field for american workers. and breaking overnight, a federal judge has ordered the trump administration to restore at least temporarily funding for hundreds of foreign contracts. the judge here made it an argument that the executive order from the pr

. >> the. >> va, the largest health care provider in the country. >> yes.s what he does. >> and these guys. >> are also all lawyers, right? they are not going. quietly into this. good night. today. >> michael missal, who's. >> the man i interviewed in there? >> that is. >> he's. part of a. >> group of. >> inspectors general who are suing. there's a very. >> clear protocol about how you fire an inspector general. >> and trump. >> and his allies did not follow it. >> in fact, lindsey graham said it was technically illegal. >> it is absolutely illegal. >> and it flies in the face of everything. >> trump and. >> musk say they're doing, which is to curb waste, fraud and abuse. >> one of the things that comes across in that interview, and in a bunch of the reporting you're doing, which i think has been incredibly helpful in the texture of this, is because of this lack of transparency and this weird sort of i'm the king feeling to mosque downstream of it. it has this, like, kafkaesque almost. you're in a totalitarian universe and no one communicates anything, and