{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases/duckworth-blumenthal-demand-investigation-into-trumps-misuse-of-va-resources-to-help-execute-his-extreme-deportation-campaign", "Duckworth, Blumenthal Demand Investigation into Trump\u2019s Misuse of VA Resources to Help Execute His Extreme Deportation Campaign", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "IL", "Tammy Duckworth", "D000622", "www.duckworth.senate.gov", "duckworth", "https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "[WASHINGTON, D.C.] \u2013 Combat Veteran and U.S. Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee (SVAC) member Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with SVAC Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), today demanded an independent investigation into the Trump Administration\u2019s decision to divert personnel, equipment and financial resources away from serving our nation\u2019s Veterans and toward developing a database to track non-U.S. citizen employees as part of Donald Trump\u2019s inhumane mass deportation campaign. After Donald Trump fired 30,000 VA employees and jeopardized timely VA care for our Veterans earlier this year, Duckworth\u2019s letter underscores that aiding immigration enforcement does not support or advance the VA\u2019s sacred mission of caring for our Veterans and their families and only further demoralizes the dedicated VA workforce.\n\n\u201cBeyond cutting 30,000 Federal employees from the workforce this year, VA leadership is hindering Veterans\u2019 prompt access to exemplary healthcare, and their swift delivery of benefits, by pursuing policy functions and using valuable resources irrelevant to its statutory responsibilities,\u201d wrote Duckworth. \u201cThese actions are indicative of potential fraud, waste and misuse of Congressionally appropriated funds at VA. Furthermore, they also suggest possible gross mismanagement that undermines VA\u2019s mission.\u201d\n\nDemanding an independent investigation into this latest attempt by the Trump Administration to undermine the mission of the VA, Duckworth wrote: \u201c\u2026we request VA OIG conduct an independent investigation to include findings, if warranted, on the database\u2019s adverse impact on delivering and managing healthcare and benefits and whether such activities are consistent with congressional intent for VA\u2019s congressionally appropriated resources.\u201d\n\nDuckworth has been a fierce leader and advocate for improving our Veterans\u2019 and servicemembers\u2019 access to care amid Trump\u2019s ongoing attacks on the VA. In October, she defended disabled Veterans as Senate Republicans shamefully promoted Trump\u2019s dangerous efforts to cut even more of their benefits. In September, she reintroduced legislation that would improve Veterans\u2019 access to contraception and increase efficiency and cost-effectiveness for contraceptive products at the VA. A few weeks prior, Duckworth sent a letter to VA Secretary Collins demanding he block ICE from stealing VA resources at Hines VA Hospital in Chicago.\n\nDuckworth also joined U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in reintroducing legislation to help make it easier for our Veterans who struggle with infertility to build their families. After the first VA purge laid off workers with the Veterans Crisis Line\u2014including several Veterans\u2014Duckworth successfully pushed the Trump Administration to reinstate these devoted public servants that work to support our Veterans in their darkest moments. In the aftermath, she introduced the Protect Veteran Jobs Act with U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) to reinstate the thousands of Veterans who were fired in Trump\u2019s mass layoffs\u2014an effort Republicans shamefully blocked in March.\n\nFull text of the letter is available below and on the Senator\u2019s website:\n\nDear Inspector General Mason:\n\nWe write to request that you initiate an independent investigation into the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs\u2019 (VA\u2019s) diversion of personnel, equipment and financial resources to develop a database on non-U.S. citizen employees. This non-mission critical activity, regardless of VA\u2019s stated pretext for initiating it, appears to represent VA wasting time, attention and congressionally appropriated funds on activities that support already well-funded Federal agencies\u2019 civil immigration enforcement operations, while doing nothing to improve patient care or benefits administration.\n\nVA\u2019s sacred mission is to care for those who have served our country and their families, caregivers and survivors. Beyond cutting 30,000 Federal employees from the workforce this year, VA leadership is hindering Veterans\u2019 prompt access to exemplary healthcare, and their swift delivery of benefits, by pursuing policy functions and using valuable resources irrelevant to its statutory responsibilities. These actions are indicative of potential fraud, waste and misuse of Congressionally appropriated funds at VA. Furthermore, they also suggest possible gross mismanagement that undermines VA\u2019s mission. Recent reporting and commentary from VA officials validate and escalate our concerns that these immigration enforcement efforts risk the timely delivery of care and benefits to Veterans.\n\nTo better understand these recent actions at VA, we request VA OIG conduct an independent investigation to include findings, if warranted, on the database\u2019s adverse impact on delivering and managing healthcare and benefits and whether such activities are consistent with congressional intent for VA\u2019s congressionally appropriated resources. We also request that your investigation recommends corrective actions, as necessary, including policy reforms, disciplinary matters and referrals to the appropriate law enforcement authorities.\n\nWe respectfully request that your office prioritize this investigation and provide our offices with routine updates, including preliminary findings or recommendations. Thank you for attention to this urgent matter.\n\nSincerely,\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases/duckworth-blumenthal-demand-investigation-into-trumps-misuse-of-va-resources-to-help-execute-his-extreme-deportation-campaign"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 13.269930146634579, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}