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Bernie Sanders: “A week later, there was 1000-1500 VA employees laid off.”

Featuring: Bernie Sanders, Independent | U.S. Senate, Vermont

Vermont Congressional Delegation Telephone Town Town Hall

Published February 26, 2025 | Video Starts at 1:31:48

And I have written to the new secretary, Doug Collins. He came before. You know, when you try to get nominated, oh, we love veterans. We're going to strengthen VA. And A week later, there was 1000-1500 VA employees laid off. So this is a fight that not only I'm going to be in and our delegation is going to be in, you have the vfw, the American Legion, the dav, … (1:31:48–1:31:54)

CLAIM

Asserts that 1,000 to 1,500 VA employees were laid off shortly after a new secretary's nomination.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

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Bernie Sanders

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“I think in many respects, we're looking at a government of the billionaires, by the billionaires and for the billionaires.”
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“Trump has shown total contempt for the Constitution.”
Vermont Congressional Delegation Telephone Town Town Hall | Uploaded February 26, 2025 | 35:41-35:48
“He has usurped, tried to usurp the power of the Congress by negating Legislation, agencies and appropriations that Congress had authorized.”
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“Trump lost the election in 2020.”
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“Climate change, despite what Trump says, is not a hoax.”
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“It was not Ukraine that started this horrific war. It was Russia and Putin.”
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“At the United Nations, for the first time, the American administration, the United States, voted against a resolution that made it clear…”
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“Trump is doing, is turning his back on 250 years of American history, where we led the world.”
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“Their groundwork is over a trillion dollars in tax breaks for the top 1%.”
Vermont Congressional Delegation Telephone Town Town Hall | Uploaded February 26, 2025 | 38:18-38:26
“They're going to make massive cuts, over $800 billion to Medicaid, cuts to education, cuts to housing, cuts to the needs of our veterans.”
Vermont Congressional Delegation Telephone Town Town Hall | Uploaded February 26, 2025 | 38:36-38:48
“Rally the American people to make sure that [Trump] does not slash Medicaid or Medicare or Social Security.”
Vermont Congressional Delegation Telephone Town Town Hall | Uploaded February 26, 2025 | 48:59-49:09
“There are 160,000 Vermonters who are enrolled in Medicaid.”
Vermont Congressional Delegation Telephone Town Town Hall | Uploaded February 26, 2025 | 49:19-49:25
“Two out of three people who are in a nursing home get their support from Medicaid.”
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“One third of our people [in Vermont] do that [utilize a community health center], and 32 million people do it nationally.”
Vermont Congressional Delegation Telephone Town Town Hall | Uploaded February 26, 2025 | 49:40-49:45
“If there were the kinds of cuts that Trump wanted from Medicaid, it would be an absolute disaster.”
Vermont Congressional Delegation Telephone Town Town Hall | Uploaded February 26, 2025 | 50:03-50:09
“Many, many hundreds of employees, probationary employees and others at the VA have been forced out.”
Vermont Congressional Delegation Telephone Town Town Hall | Uploaded February 26, 2025 | 51:59-52:11
“I think their long term plan is to cripple and underfund the VA and then move to the privatization of the VA.”
Vermont Congressional Delegation Telephone Town Town Hall | Uploaded February 26, 2025 | 52:37-52:46
“We remain the only major country on earth not to guarantee health care to all people as a human right.”
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“We're spending twice as much per person on health care so that the drug companies and the insurance companies can make huge profits.”
Vermont Congressional Delegation Telephone Town Town Hall | Uploaded February 26, 2025 | 1:01:34-1:01:53
“Trump has said over and over again he's not going to cut Social Security. Between you and me, I don't believe him.”
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“Apparently there is an effort now through Doge, and Doge, as you all know, is Musk's group that's running all over the government, that…”
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“There is [a risk of the Trump administration targeting student federal aid].”
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“Social Security now is grossly understaffed.”
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“If you understaff [government services], you underfund them, people say, hey, to help with Social Security, let's privatize it.”
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“When 20% of seniors are living on $15,000 a year or less, you know what? We shouldn't be talking about cutting Social Security.”
Vermont Congressional Delegation Telephone Town Town Hall | Uploaded February 26, 2025 | 1:05:15-1:05:23
“We should be talking about expanding [Social Security]. And I got a bill that we're going to be introducing this week on that.”
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“The agency that has the most waste, fraud and abuse, it is an agency which got some $900 billion more than any other agency that is the…”
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“For year after year, this Department of Defense has been unable to respond to an independent audit.”
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“If you're on Medicare, you're not going to pay more than $35 a month for insulin.”
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“Some of the largest manufacturers of asthma inhaler reduce their prices to $35.”
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“If you're a senior on Medicare, no matter how many prescription drugs you now pay, you're not going to spend more than $2,000 a year.”
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“We began negotiating prescription drug prices with the drug companies, and that has and will continue to lower the cost of prescription…”
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Vermont Congressional Delegation Telephone Town Town Hall | Uploaded February 26, 2025 | 1:30:55-1:31:04
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Vermont Congressional Delegation Telephone Town Town Hall | Uploaded February 26, 2025 | 1:31:26-1:31:34
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Vermont Congressional Delegation Telephone Town Town Hall | Uploaded February 26, 2025 | 1:36:29-1:36:40
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Vermont Congressional Delegation Telephone Town Town Hall | Uploaded February 26, 2025 | 1:37:30-1:37:34
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