Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Inside the DOGE Cuts Disrupting the Veterans Agency

Clinical trials have been delayed, contracts canceled and support staff fired. With deeper cuts coming, some are warning of potential harms to veterans.

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Republicans can't credibly call themselves patriots while betraying the veterans who put their lives on the line for this country! They're slashing VA healthcare to give tax cuts to billionaires like Elon Musk. Republican Cuts Hurt Veterans

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-- Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline.com) March 11, 2025 at 6:20 PM

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FTA:

At the Veterans Affairs hospital in Pittsburgh, researchers spent months preparing for a clinical trial of a new drug to treat advanced cancers of the mouth, throat and voice box.

They were ready last month to start enrolling patients " veterans whose cancer had spread to other tissue and who had run out of treatment options.

Then a problem arose.

The hospital was unable to renew the job of a key staff member involved in running the study, a typically routine process thwarted by a hiring freeze imposed under the government-cutting project led by President Trump and Elon Musk. Suddenly, the clinical trial was on hold.

"They were ready to enroll," said Alanna Caffas, the chief executive of the Veterans Health Foundation, which administers the trials. "They had the lab kits on site. They had the drug to dispense. But they couldn't get the clinical research coordinator renewed."

#1 | Posted by Gal_Tuesday at 2025-03-12 08:59 AM

What benefit does any of these cuts provide to any American?

#2 | Posted by truthhurts at 2025-03-12 09:31 AM


What benefit does any of these cuts provide to any American?
#2 | POSTED BY TRUTHNLIES

What is the media's benefit of continually lying?

Reporters " Please help our Veterans by NOT spreading unconfirmed rumors, hearsay and innuendo about @DeptVetAffairs. Thank you!
x.com

#3 | Posted by oneironaut at 2025-03-12 11:35 AM

What is the media's benefit of continually lying?

Have you asked Fixed News? I am sure their bean counters will tell you exactly why.

#4 | Posted by donnerboy at 2025-03-12 11:49 AM

Yep--getting rid of fraud, waste and abuse. Uh huh. Riddle me this, Doge-Man: have any fraudsters been found, and brought to justice? Have instances of waste been specified, e.g., spending $1MM+ to send the POTUS to play a round of gawlf? Or even abuse, like some guy having a car commercial filmed at a government office building. Any of that identified? Calling it fraud, waste and abuse without providing examples or reasons does not make it so...

#5 | Posted by catdog at 2025-03-12 02:02 PM

Yeah, you normally see prosecutions when fraud is uncovered. Where are they?

#6 | Posted by qcp at 2025-03-12 02:07 PM

Then a problem arose.

The hospital was unable to renew the job of a key staff member

?

"They were ready to enroll," said Alanna Caffas, the chief executive of the Veterans Health Foundation, which administers the trials. "They had the lab kits on site. They had the drug to dispense. But they couldn't get the clinical research coordinator renewed."

So for want of ONE administrative position, the entire program is not??
I call BS.

#7 | Posted by itchypossum at 2025-03-12 02:21 PM

The real crime here is these people politicizing the study to own leon.
"Sorry guys! The study is off because so-and-so called in sick/quit/got in a car wreck! They didn't write anything down, and absolutely no one else knows how to do their job!"

#8 | Posted by itchypossum at 2025-03-12 02:25 PM

So for want of ONE administrative position, the entire program is not??
I call BS.
#7 | Posted by itchypossum

It wasn't just one administrative position. It was the key administrative position, i.e. "the clinical research coordinator" which wasn't "renewed". Could they have promoted someone else into the position? Probably not. There was no funding for the position, which was eliminated.

#9 | Posted by Gal_Tuesday at 2025-03-12 02:37 PM

So I read that the VA was cutting 83,000 of the 482,000 jobs there. So what is the big deal? You want to tell me the 400k left there can't handle the work load? Problem is Dems are just F-in lazy.
It just shows in the attitudes regarding cutting waste and fraud. Who is against cutting waste and fraud? Dems. Because they put it there and allowed it for so long.

#10 | Posted by fishpaw at 2025-03-12 02:44 PM

Problem is Dems are just F-in lazy.

#10 | Posted by fishpaw

So you think it's all dems who work at the VA? You sure are a stupid partisan ----.

#11 | Posted by Whatsleft at 2025-03-12 02:49 PM

The real crime here is these people politicizing the study to own leon.
#8 | Posted by itchypossum

Musk is doing real damage, not just to individual research projects and the people who were counting on them, but to whole communities which are built around "Eds and Meds" jobs. Pittsburgh is one such community, which was devastated years ago by the steel mills closing down and which rebuilt its economy around the very jobs which Musk, Trump and the GOP are cutting and/or threatening to cut:

How NIH cuts could stall Pittsburgh's economy

The Pittsburgh area's economy could lose out on billions of dollars if federal health research cuts proposed by the Trump administration go through, officials say.

Why it matters: Pittsburgh's economy is largely driven by health care, universities and tech--the so-called "Eds and Meds"--and medical research is a huge part of that equation, according to Stefani Pashman, CEO of pro-business coalition Allegheny Conference on Community Development.

What they're saying: "This is an industry that is the backbone of this region," said Lee. "It would be as big as making cuts to U.S. Steel in its heyday."

Zoom out: Pashman said medical research is a cornerstone of Pittsburgh's "Eds and Meds" economy.

"It is our brand now," she said. "It really would stall our economy if it came through. It would take some significant wind out of the sails of the region."

www.axios.com

#12 | Posted by Gal_Tuesday at 2025-03-12 02:50 PM

"the clinical research coordinator" #9 | Posted by Gal_Tuesday at 2025-03-12 02:37 PM | Reply | Flag:

You know what the clinical research coordinator does? It acts like it needs to coordinate the people that actually do the research. So why not keep the researchers who actually do the work and get rid of the waste that gets in the way of them doing it.

#13 | Posted by fishpaw at 2025-03-12 02:55 PM

Problem is Dems are just F-in lazy.

#10 | Posted by fishpaw

So you think it's all dems who work at the VA? You sure are a stupid partisan ----.

#11 | Posted by Whatsleft at 2025-03-12 02:49 PM | Reply | Flag:
(Choose)

No just the lazy ones that are getting fired.

#14 | Posted by fishpaw at 2025-03-12 02:56 PM

"You know what the clinical research coordinator does? It acts like it needs to coordinate the people that actually do the research. So why not keep the researchers who actually do the work and get rid of the waste that gets in the way of them doing it."

You have never done any research in your life and you never will.

You have absolutely no clue what you are talking about.

#15 | Posted by snoofy at 2025-03-12 03:00 PM

Most of the VA employees are also drawing military disability.
They are double-dipped lazy.

#16 | Posted by itchypossum at 2025-03-12 03:00 PM

"the clinical research coordinator" #9 | Posted by Gal_Tuesday at 2025-03-12 02:37 PM | Reply | Flag:
You know what the clinical research coordinator does? It acts like it needs to coordinate the people that actually do the research. So why not keep the researchers who actually do the work and get rid of the waste that gets in the way of them doing it.
#13 | Posted by fishpaw

Yes, I imagine the clinical research coordinator does what the job title suggests: coordinates the research that is being done, sometimes across multiple research sites, in which case the clinical research coordinator would play an important, necessary role. Somebody has to look at the research, put it all together, analyze it, address questions and problems that occur. Individual researchers are essential, but so is the person who oversees them, makes sure protocols are being followed, collects all the data and comes to conclusions about it. That is work too.

#17 | Posted by Gal_Tuesday at 2025-03-12 03:04 PM

---- Veterans!

They should have died in uniform.

That would have been a less wasteful use of taxpayer dollars, if the Veterans had been Killed In Action.

#18 | Posted by snoofy at 2025-03-12 03:04 PM

You know what the clinical research coordinator does? It acts like it needs to coordinate the people that actually do the research. So why not keep the researchers who actually do the work and get rid of the waste that gets in the way of them doing it.

#13 | Posted by fishpaw

Republican brain - if i don't understand something that means no one needs it.

#19 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2025-03-12 03:05 PM

You know what the clinical research coordinator does? It acts like it needs to coordinate the people that actually do the research. So why not keep the researchers who actually do the work and get rid of the waste that gets in the way of them doing it.

#13 | Posted by fishpaw

Republican brain - if i don't understand something that means no one needs it.

#19 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2025-03-12 03:05 PM | Reply | Flag:
(Choose)

Democratic brain-why not have two people do the job that it takes one person to do? That way it will get done twice as good.

#20 | Posted by fishpaw at 2025-03-12 03:23 PM

You have never done any research in your life and you never will.

You have absolutely no clue what you are talking about.

#15 | Posted by snoofy at 2025-03-12 03:00 PM | Reply | Flag

I've run businesses and have dealt with government agencies, and anyone that has to deal with government agencies knows how entitled the employees think they are. If you don't agree you haven't dealt with any of them. Why don't you call your congressperson and see if you can get an answer about anything. Or simply call a government agency and see if anyone will actually answer the call. If computers can answer their calls they can do their jobs.

#21 | Posted by fishpaw at 2025-03-12 03:29 PM

What benefit does any of these cuts provide to any American?

#2 | Posted by truthhurts

They justify the Trump tax cuts for the 1%

Remember when Republicans used to claim to be "fiscally conservative?" Before they doubled the budget and debt during GOP unitary control under Shrub?

#22 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2025-03-12 03:35 PM

Democratic brain-why not have two people do the job that it takes one person to do? That way it will get done twice as good.

#20 | Posted by fishpaw

Why have one person do one job when you can just make them work 2 jobs, neglect their families and health, and die an early death?

#23 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2025-03-12 05:40 PM

FishPawn, supports America having two presidents.

He loves the Musk/Trump administration.

How many Teslas have you bought, FishPawn?

Musk/Trump are depending on you.

#24 | Posted by ClownShack at 2025-03-12 05:44 PM

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