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Senator Murray Remarks on Trump Administration Sowing Chaos at Social Security Administration and VA, Hurting Seniors & Veterans

Murray: “Here’s the thing to understand about the Trump administration: these people have the wrong incentives and the wrong priorities. They will never admit a mistake—and they will always pick a fight.

They care more about getting a pat on the head from Donald Trump for a viral moment, than about the chaos they are creating for regular people. Americans feel that chaos. You can’t just fix that by going on Fox and saying it doesn’t exist.”

***WATCH: Senator Murray’s Remarks***

Washington, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, delivered the following remarks at this afternoon’s Senate Democratic leadership press conference. Senator Murray slammed the Trump administration for the continued chaos at the Social Security Administration and Department of Veterans’ Affairs, as thousands of employees are pushed out and seniors and veterans are forced to wait longer for help on the phone and in-person.

Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below:

“Trump’s first few months in office have been nothing but chaos. His definition of ‘fixing’ things—is breaking them and then lying about it.

“Look no further than Social Security and the VA.

“I just heard from a constituent who called their local Social Security office for three straight days—and could not get an answer.

“So, they drove to a field office, where every seat was filled. By 8 in the morning—an hour before the office opened—people started lining up, and by 3:30 that afternoon—people started getting turned away, best they could do was sign up for a later appointment.

“Why? Because the office was staffed by just one person!

“That is what happens when Trump pushes out thousands of Social Security workers, with no plan. That’s what happens when Trump pulls people off of casework to answer phones. And that’s what happens when Republicans blow trillions on tax breaks for billionaires while DOGE penny pinches by gutting Social Security.

“Here’s a message for Donald Trump: seniors in this country who need their Social Security do not want to deal with an AI chatbot.

“The people pay for Social Security—the government owes the people that money. It is not Donald Trump’s money.

“When you make it nearly impossible for Americans to get their benefits—that is a benefit cut.

“This chaos cannot continue.

“Meanwhile, we have a VA Secretary who seems to be more interested in picking fights with me on social media than taking any accountability for his actual job. He fired thousands upon thousands of random probationary employees and VA had to scramble to rehire.

“Therapists treating PTSD have been forced now to work in open-air office cubicles where everyone can hear them. VA contracts have been cancelled with seemingly no one checking what they are for first—including a cancer registry in my state!

“Doug Collins still can’t give us a straight answer about how many contracts have been terminated.

“And he is celebrating that he’s driven 30,000 VA employees out the door! Hundreds of doctors and more than 1,700 registered nurses have quit because of Collins and Trump.

“And when veterans share their concerns, like after Doug Collins explicitly removed language requiring VA doctors to care for veterans regardless of their politics or marital status, the answer from him isn’t ‘sorry we are going to fix that,’ he says: ‘Don’t worry, it doesn’t matter.’

“It doesn’t matter? So why did he do it in the first place? And why not just put those protections back in?

“Here’s the thing to understand about the Trump administration: these people have the wrong incentives and the wrong priorities. They will never admit a mistake—and they will always pick a fight.

“Every cabinet member is focused on social media and confrontation. Every failure is an opportunity to double down and lie about how you’re actually making America great.

“They care more about getting a pat on the head from Donald Trump for a viral moment, than about the chaos they are creating for regular people.

“Americans feel that chaos. You can’t just fix that by going on Fox and saying it doesn’t exist.

“You can’t spin seniors wondering why they’re waiting longer than ever for getting help with Social Security. And you cannot spin VA psychologists, who veterans trust and rely on, quitting because the workplace is so toxic now.

“The American people have a way of making themselves heard.

“For my part, I’m going to help lifting up their voices.”

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