We must defend vets as Washington targets veteran programs

Veteran programs are in the sights of Russell Vought, who currently controls America’s purse strings. The U.S. Constitution gave Congress that crucial responsibility, but our present GOP Congress has largely given over its power to Vought, who is now the Director of the Office of Management and Budget in the White House. While multi-billionaire Elon Musk is slicing and dicing governmental agencies, Vought is making the financial calls that guide both Musk and the Congress. The consequences are starting to show up both on the national level and here in the Gem State. 

A little background provides insight into what America’s veterans can expect. Vought was an architect of Project 2025, which called for major changes to veterans programs. 

The plan is to slash staffing, reduce the disability rolls and privatize many services now performed by the VA. Those changes are now being implemented by Vought’s OMB. 

The chaos started with the firing of about 2,400 VA employees. That disrupted treatment studies for advanced cancer cases and interrupted patient care across the country. The effects were felt at the Boise VA Hospital, where 14 employees were let go. Some were mission-critical personnel, who provided direct services to veterans. A federal judge found that the VA employees were unlawfully terminated and ordered their reinstatement. It remains to be seen whether the VA will obey the order. 

Those initial firings are to be followed with the termination of about 83,000 more VA employees. A significant number of those staffers were hired to administer the PACT Act. That legislation was enacted in 2022 for the purpose of providing health care and benefits to veterans who suffered cancer and other ailments from exposure to toxic elements dating back to the 1960s. 

Following the First Gulf War, veterans began complaining about a myriad of health problems they attributed to breathing toxic fumes from burn pits that were used for disposal purposes. The VA routinely denied benefits unless the veterans could furnish proof positive of the service connection. That was virtually impossible without strong scientific evidence. Similar claims were raised by veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and all of those claims were similarly denied. 

The service connection between the exposure to toxins and the resulting diseases was firmly established by scientific evidence in 2009, leading to the eventual passage of the PACT Act. The Act extended care and benefits to veterans with illnesses related to burn pit toxins, as well as those suffering from several types of cancer caused by exposure to Agent Orange, dating back to the 1960s.  

Previous to the PACT Act, claims for pancreatic cancer were routinely denied. The Act presumes pancreatic cancer to be service connected where exposure to Agent Orange is shown. I mention that because I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2017 and always thought it was related to my exposure to Agent Orange. I’d managed to beat the cancer and never needed or obtained VA help to get the job done. It cost about $750,000 to overcome the disease, mostly Medicare and private insurance, but I often think of veterans who did not have those resources available and could not get VA help. The country finally came through for them. 

Passage of the Pact Act was not easy because Vought and his allies strongly opposed it. As head of OMB, he is in a position to completely defund it. All four members of Idaho’s Congressional delegation voted against the PACT Act. Senators Risch and Crapo voted against the bill on three separate occasions. 

OMB Director Vought, Project 2025 and the Idaho delegation may have the last say in denying medical care and benefits to veterans who are suffering from exposure to burn pit toxins and Agent Orange. The continuing resolution to fund the government until September does not provide funding for the PACT Act. I sincerely hope Congress will deal separately with this critical issue in the meantime. If not, there will likely be a need for more military funerals in the next six months. 

Jim Jones is a Vietnam combat veteran who served eight years as Idaho Attorney General (1983-1991) and 12 years as a Justice on the Idaho Supreme Court (2005-2017). His columns are collected at JJCommonTater.com.