Durham nurses, Department of Veteran Affairs staff and community members gathered in front of the Durham VA Medical Center Wednesday to protest the Trump administration’s plan to cut 80,000 jobs from the VA.
Posters that read “Save the VA,” “This ‘Musk’ Stop!” and “Vets are our Heroes [and] Nurses are their Angels” lined Fulton Street outside the center.
Organized by the North Carolina American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and National Nurses United (NNU), the protest aimed to “defend the VA and protest privatization and cuts to health care for veterans to pay for tax cuts for billionaires.”
The proposed cuts came after VA Chief of Staff Christopher Syrek wrote a March 4 memo detailing the sweeping layoff. Under the plan, which was confirmed by VA Secretary Doug Collins, staffing levels would be reduced to under 400,000, returning to 2019 figures.
The VA provides support to veterans and their families through health care, disability compensation and educational benefits. Opened in 1953, the Durham VA employs more than 3,200 full-time workers and treats over 68,000 patients from central and eastern North Carolina.
As the crowd on the sidewalk grew, passing cars and buses repeatedly honked, and drivers waved to express their support.
The rally opened at 3 p.m. with a speech by Director of the NNU Ann Marie Patterson-Powell.
“We are here today to push back and to stop the proposed cuts to the VA system,” Patterson-Powell said. “The VA cannot and will not survive these drastic cuts.”
Patterson-Powell cited reports that 82% of VA centers across the nation were already understaffed, claiming that further cuts would have “devastating effects” on VA centers and veterans.
“We have an administration not recognizing the importance of representation of the country and also [of] provid[ing] care for those who need care, whether it’s medical, psychological or economical,” VA Program Assistant James Lawson said.
Lawson believes the proposed cuts not only prevent veterans from living a “suitable life” but also undermine “how we respect those who have given their life for the freedom that all of us enjoy on a daily basis.”
Irma Westmoreland, chair of veterans affairs for NNU, criticized the plans, explaining that reducing the number of VA employees to 2019 levels disregards the 750,000 additional veterans who have been registered in the system since then.
“Our VA hospitals are in crisis. What they're doing is starving us of resources,” Westmoreland said.
Monica Walker, an Air Force veteran, VA nurse and grievance chair of NNU, believes the government should keep its promise to care for the American veterans who “paid the cost” of defending the nation. Walker added that the cuts are already affecting Durham, particularly in terms of ancillary support and patient care staff.
Debbie Dooley, a registered nurse and geriatric care manager, protested because she believes that “to harm people who have served our country is pretty despicable.” She expressed concerns about veterans “dependent on the VA for their well-being” through housing services and PTSD treatment who are losing “multi-faceted services.”
Organizers handed out free signs, food and water to protesters. The crowd began to disperse around 4:30 p.m.
The Durham VA Medical Center has offered collaborative research opportunities with Duke Hospital, where many Durham VA employees work part time.
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