Press Releases

Today, Congressman Richard E. Neal joined Eric Segundo, Director of Veterans’ Services for the Town of Ludlow, in hosting a roundtable to discuss policies and actions taken by the Trump Administration and the impact on the more than 35,000 veterans who live in the First Congressional District.

During its first 100 days, several actions taken by the Trump Administration have undermined the VA’s mission of serving the nation’s veterans. On January 20, President Trump signed a memorandum ordering all teleworking and remote work federal employees to return to the office. In implementing this directive, the VA rescinded telework and remote work agreements for about 20% of its 482,000 employees, including those who staff the Veterans Crisis Line. It wasn’t until March 7 that crisis line workers were informed of their exemption from the return-to-office requirements.

On March 4, 2025, a memo was circulated amongst officials at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) calling for 83,000 staff members to be cut. With veterans accounting for 30 percent of the federal workforce, these cuts will not only impact the VA’s services, but also cost veterans their employment. To date, the VA has already cut 2,400 employees, including Mike Slater, a U.S. Army veteran who completed four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Slater was terminated from his employment with the Springfield Vet Center in February and was Congressman Neal’s guest at President Trump’s address to Congress.

“It’s important to consider where we were just a few months ago. Under the Biden Administration, veterans saw the largest investment in veterans’ services in three decades with the enactment of the PACT Act. Those are earned benefits that are now being jeopardized to finance a tax cut for the wealthy,” said Congressman Neal. “How anyone can look a veteran in the eye and say these cuts won’t impact their services is not only a denial of both reality and responsibility, but a shameful attempt to mislead those who have honorably served our country. That is why I am here today, to listen to our veterans and hear directly from them about how these cuts will impact their day-to-day lives.”

Eric Segundo enlisted in the United States Army in 2003 and was deployed to Iraq in Support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from January 2005 to January 2006. Stationed in Taji, Iraq, Eric’s team was part of an Escort/Personal Security Team for the brigade leadership. During his years of active service, Eric received numerous awards, including the Army Commendation Medal (2^nd Award), Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Combat Action Badge. Eric has served as the Director of Veterans’ Services for the Town of Ludlow since 2013 and was named the "Outstanding VSO of the Year" by the Massachusetts Department of Veterans Services in 2015.

“We welcome Congressman Neal to the Ludlow Veterans’ Center to visit with our veterans and hear directly from them on the issues and concerns that they have,” said Eric Segundo, Director of Veterans’ Services for the Town of Ludlow.

The administration’s cuts to the VA workforce will also impact veterans’ health care. The Veterans Health Administration workforce accounts for 90 percent of the VA’s 482,000 workers, meaning any cuts to the VA’s workforce will mean cuts to health care. This would come after the VA enrolled 400,000 veterans in its benefits system from March 2023 through March 2024, 30 percent more than the prior year. In addition, a 2024 report by the Office of Inspector General found that 137 of 139 VA health centers nationwide report a severe staffing shortage in at least one area, particularly nursing and psychology. These staff shortages have led to long wait times for the more than 9 million veterans the VA serves.

“When our servicemembers enter the service, we make them a promise: you protect us, and we’ll take care of you. The VA is central to the obligation we have of fulfilling that promise, and you don’t accomplish that by gutting the department’s workforce,” continued Congressman Neal. “This is more of the same of what we’ve seen from this administration – chaotic and reckless decision making that has a real impact on everyday Americans. I’ve not seen anything in my time like what we’ve witnessed since January 20, 2025. I hope my Republican colleagues will stand up to this and the many other attacks on the institutions that are the bedrock of our democratic system.”

On April 3, the VA announced that the VA Service Purchase (VASP) program would stop accepting new enrollees on May 1, 2025. The VASP was created under the Biden Administration to stop foreclosures for veterans with VA-backed loans. After exploring other home retention solutions, including repayment plans, special forbearances, and standard loan modifications, servicers will identify whether a loan is eligible for the VASP program. Loan modification under VASP enables veterans to receive a new loan from the VA at 2.5% interest, allowing them to avoid higher rates they may be forced into during a refinance. Over 17,000 borrowers have been helped through the program.

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