More than 60 House Democrats have formally pressed Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins for explanations regarding the increasing strain on the agency’s mental healthcare services under President Donald Trump’s second administration.

In a letter sent last week, the lawmakers cited a ProPublica investigation revealing a significant decline in the VA’s mental health workforce, leaving many veterans without adequate care. The letter, which includes input from psychologist and Southern California representative Judy Chu, emphasized that “Caring for our nation’s Veterans is a fundamental responsibility,” and stressed the need to ensure access to high-quality mental health care.

The Democrats demanded detailed disclosures about the shortage of mental health providers and its impact on veterans, including information on wait times for care. According to ProPublica’s reporting, the VA had approximately 500 fewer psychologists and psychiatrists in January compared to the previous year.

A therapist reported that remaining individual sessions were sometimes limited to as little as 16 minutes, highlighting the severity of the resource constraints.

Russell Lemle, former chief psychologist for the San Francisco VA Health Care System and now a senior policy analyst at the Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute, stated, “VA psychologists are best in class. When you lose them, the veterans are the ones who pay the price.”

The Trump administration had pledged to provide veterans with “the highest quality care” upon returning to office last year, but these developments raise concerns about the fulfillment of that promise.

Sources