rely on the va to access higher education job training, buy a house, opening small business access healthcare and more. helping veterans achieve those goals is often complicated by the fact the va is one of the largest bureaucracies within the federal government with more than 400,000 employees. that includes a massive physical footprint that expends the globe facilities are aging it and budget well over $30 billion. we must have a secretary that understands a va mission help refocus the department department but veterans first. to recognize is important at the v8 contribute to save successful future for our nation. i'm grateful to congress on doug collins to testify about his nomination to be secretary of veterans affairs. many issues facing veterans and their families. i am grateful for congress called's interest in serving in this capacity i look forward to hearing today how he plans to improve and support the lives of his fellow veterans if confirmed. i don't military service as family service on to recognize and thank congressman collins family including his wife lisa. his daughter jorda

we want our members to use va healthcare. unfortunately, the stigma could unnecessarily deprive them of their earned benefits and compromise their health. however, the process of changes we propose to preserve the fiduciary program for deserving beneficiaries while simultaneously safeguarding veterans and preventing inappropriate mix referrals. chairman latrell, ranking member mcgarvey, this concludes my testimony. i welcome any questions from you or members of the subcommittee. >> thank you, ma'am. the written statement of ms. springer will be entered into the hearing record. master sergeant washington, sir, you're now recognized for 5 minutes. >> thank you. good afternoon, chairman luttrell, ranking member mcgarvey, and members of the subcommittee. my name is master sergeant michael washington, united states marine corps retired. i'm a proud veteran, the 2nd 2nd of 4 generations of marines and numerous other branches of the service in my family. i served as an infantry platoon sergeant and counterintelligence agent for 23 y

like a third of the va employees i myself am a veteran and i say that va is the finest public healthcare system, not just in this country but worldwide. a leader in care, a leader in training and research and innovation, a leader in compassion but president trump, the va leadership, federal workforce like never before. this is unprecedented. they want to do nothing more than seek laws into the va's 300 billion-dollar budget and funnel that money to the corporate health care. now we know that's not right. is that? they want to give it to private entity thes and put ahead of well-being of veterans and we will not the stand for that. veterans serve the best health care possible and we are here to make sure that that does not go any further. we are here, i think that's a disgrace. what do you think? it's a disgrace. university founders said that veterans who need medical care are more likely to survive compared to private care. now if dodge believe in efficiency which they don't and we all know that, they should study what the va does and not destroy the va. they need to study, they need to

johnson showed up if that helps any case, for affirmations 9 million veterans they rely on the va for healthcareen you start breezing things and scaring workers and tell them to work for you anymore, what do you think happens? in less than a month in office the president has already disrupted the va's critical work including by initially stopping the department from hiring nurses doctors and hospital support staff. just when there's a shortage of medical staff across the country. but thanks to public pressure, thanks to the people behind me, they walked back back but they are still not hiring into critical positions like people that work with claims. that means and although these of us in congress understand that we get the calls when veterans need the help they serve and we should have their back. president and legally pro support for veterans and their families fired the va taught nonpartisan watchdog and there's a reason it is sunny today because they might have fired the watchdog but we are putting sunshine on what they are doing today. i watch every day when i'm in minnesota and one of our

the department plans to redirect all of those resources back toward healthcare benefits and services for vas veterans affairs secretary doug collins. mr. secretary, it's great to see you. congratulations to you and thank you for being here. >> good morning, maria. good to see you as always. maria: i've got to tell you, veterans love the veterans affairs department. my father was a veteran and every time i said to him, dad, go to this hospital, go to that hospital, we need better care, he would say no, maria, i'm going to the va. he always want todded to go to e va. they gave him such an incredible funeral ceremony. i was so proud of him to have been a veteran. so i want to get your take on what needs be done at the va. how can you increase the quality while reshaping and improving the department? >> maria, that's a great question. what you said about your dad, there's a whole generation that they depend on the va just like they do right now and we're here for all veterans of many generations but as we look forward into the future we're going to have to continue to raise the quality especial

if you served we want you to get the healthcare and benefits you earned. we want you to come to va.'s never been a better time to apply. under a new law called the pact act we've expanded va care and benefits to millions of people who served and their survivors. no matter where you served or how long you served check out va.gov/pact to learn more about what va can do for you and your family. come to va. ♪ >>> this is "cbs news roundup." i'm shanelle kaul in new york. health officials in western texas are trying to contain a measles outbreak spreading among school-aged children. officials have now confirmed at least 15 cases in gaines county, which has the highest rate of unvaccinated children in the state. none of those stricken with this disease had received the measles vaccine, and it is the latest outbreak of the disease which had virtually been eliminated in the u.s. it comes as vaccination rates are declining nationwide. cbs' manuel bojorquez has more. >> reporter: tampa area mom tiffany vargas says her 8-year-old daughter who she has not identified has not received childhood v

brink of closing and a looming layoffs and put overburden va clinics unable to hire more surgeons, cardiologists, psychiatrists and other healthcareatients to care for our vets. trump, musk and the musketeers continue to ignore the constitution and the lawss engaging of irreparable harm. i would hope my republican colleagues restore the balance of power for their enabling the agenda with the silence, confirming his nominees and writing a bill that will throat nursing home residentssi out, dy vulnerable children inhalers and epi- pens and leave pregnant women without coverage to ensure hate healthy safe delivery all to further enrich mr. musk in the fossil fuel executives polluting our planet, our health, and the trump family. this particular hearing is well-intentioned and of great interest to me. my own daughter, doctor lisa doggett is board-certified in lifestyle medicine is an important topic these choices cannot stop every dreaded disease or accident. whatat will guarantee the worst health gum is a lack of comprehensive affordable coverage and inaccessible physicians and nurses. i am eager to see progress on today's topic and

social security checks so they can afford food, we have multiple va health centers to make sure our veterans get access to basic healthcare, maricopa county one of the largest counties in the united states has over 245,000 veterans who do not know if they're going to keep getting their benefits that's absurd and disrespectful to somebody arizonans who put their lives on the line and constituents calling my office panicking whether they could get urgent surgeries. renters on subsidies are distressed about whether even after trump realized how disastrous the misguided freezes were in reverse some of them there healthcare clinics in my district laying off staff and cutting critical programs like std prevention and substance abuse because they were labeled as dea and they want to take a vote on fentanyl leaders in the cutting care to get people off of fentanyl. i served as a vice mayor in phoenix, arizona the fifth largest city in the country how much federal funding agencies managed to faint intensity like phoenix to keep your grandparents in your grandparents bed in your public safety and police and fire running to make sur