Veterans groups fear Trump will 'burn down' VA

[workinclasszero]

Veterans groups fear Trump will 'burn down' VA
Leading advocates worry that the new administration will aim to gut the VA and privatize many of its services.
By BRYAN BENDER 12/02/16 05:04 AM EST

Donald Trump won the White House pledging to use his business acumen to overhaul the Department of Veterans Affairs, the poster child for government mismanagement — even if he has to "pick up the phone and fix it myself."

But Trump’s leading candidates to run the troubled Cabinet department strike fear in many veteran's advocates, current and former agency officials and members of Congress, who worry that the new administration will aim to gut the VA and privatize many of its services.

Whether Trump chooses Sarah Palin, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, conservative activist Peter Hegseth, outgoing Rep. Jeff Miller or former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown — all reported to be in the running — the advocates say they are bracing for an ideological assault on the $180 billion-a-year agency with 350,000 employees.

"The worst case scenario within the vets community is a total dismantling of everything they worked generations to create," said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, who has been critical of the VA. "There is a growing fear it is all going to get burned down."

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/veterans-affairs-trump-232088

[Wounded Bear]

1. Yep, pretty much...nt

[BeyondGeography]

2. Well, they did help him win

2-to-1 for Trump in swing states:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/11/10/how-swing-state-veterans-played-a-key-role-in-donald-trump-winning-the-white-house/?client=safari

Good luck with that.

[workinclasszero]

7. Yup more buyer's remorse

Fuckin assholes

[hatrack]

9. Thank you - was looking for precisely that breakdown!

Well, well - whaddya know?

[Sunlei]

3. At least the current Admin. computerized the old paper files so there will be a record of when Vets,

die in some sub-contracted 'for profit' Doctors waiting room.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

4. Oh, yah, you betcha!

[0rganism]

5. no worries, our vets are going to get the BEST health insurance coupons

the BEST
lots of people are telling me that people all over are going to be jealous of those veterans and their great coupons
they'll have TERRIFIC care, it's going to be FANTASTIC

[Runningdawg]

6. VA, Medicare, Medicaid

if he kills these programs as planned Trump will have found a new method of committing genocide. If he does it, it will be the new "shot heard round the world".

[LenaBaby61]

8. I feel for those who didn't vote for tRump ...

Because they'll have to suffer right along with those, who although they did serve our country and get a hearty thank you from us all, they fell for some BIG BS, LIES and for the orange, racist con-man.

It'll be bad enough under a tRump administration, because they won't get ANY help from him, and God help them if that racist, dumb, trailer park POS Palin is given the nod to run the VA