Veterans and Unions Unite in Augusta to Oppose VA Privatization

Veterans and Allies Rally in Augusta to Defend VA Services

On July 31, Augusta, Georgia will host a significant gathering organized by VA registered nurses from the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU). This town hall event is a response to the ongoing challenges faced by federal workers and veterans, specifically focusing on the potential threats to the Veterans Affairs (VA) system.

"We are calling on our communities to stand with us and the nation’s veterans as we fight back against this administration’s policies that threaten the very existence of the VA," emphasized Irma Westmoreland, RN, chair of NNU’s VA division. "There is a group of rich and powerful people in Washington, D.C. who want to pour billions of taxpayer dollars into giant health care corporations and the pockets of billionaires instead of into the care of those who served our country. Nurses, federal workers, and veterans are saying, ‘Absolutely not!’ We need everyone to join with us to save the VA.”

Event Details:

Who: VA nurses, veterans, labor unions, community allies

What: Town hall to protect VA, federal workers, and veteran care

When: July 31, 2025, 6 - 8 p.m.

Where: Transforming Lives Bible Church, 2439 Peach Orchard Rd, Augusta, GA 30906

The event will be available via livestream on the National Nurses United’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nationalnurses/live_videos

The town hall will feature voices from various unions and organizations including the American Federal of Government Employees (AFGE), the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), Common Defense, Georgia AFL-CIO, Augusta Central Labor Council, and veterans. These participants will discuss the impact of current policies that may lead to the privatization of care and weakening of the VA system.

Becky Halioua, president of AFGE local 217, stated the importance of maintaining VA resources, "The VA Augusta Healthcare Network has struggled with short staffing for many years; this is not a secret. It should be considered an act of fraud, waste, and abuse to funnel more money into sending veterans’ care into the private sector, particularly when data shows that veterans overwhelmingly want their care to stay at the VA."

Jacob Pannell, a U.S. Army veteran and national business representative for NFFE, echoed the sentiment, remarking, "Today, that workforce is under siege. The administration’s attacks on federal workers and their unions are attacks on the quality of care our veterans receive. That’s why we’re standing united — with NNU, with every union — to defend not just jobs or contracts, but the soul of public service."

Ed Anderson from Common Defense added, "We will not stand for the gutting of the system many veterans depend on for their healthcare and benefits. This isn’t just about budget cuts, it’s about every one of us who served, and every VA staffer, many of whom are veterans, who will lose their livelihoods."

Speakers at the event will include:

• Mary Turner, RN, NNU President
• Irma Westmoreland, RN, Secretary Treasurer NNU and NNU VA division Chair
• Ed Anderson, Air Force veteran, lead organizer for Common Defense
• Jacob Pannell, National Federation of Federal Employees
• Tamara Reid, AFGE 217
• Burrel Lanham, Vietnam Veteran, VA patient
• Yvonne Brooks, Georgia AFL-CIO President
• Glenn Kelly, Augusta Central Labor Council President

The VA's plans to cut 30,000 positions by the end of the fiscal year could exacerbate existing staffing shortages. An Inspector General report from August 2024 indicates that 82% of VA facilities face severe nursing staff shortages, while the number of veterans seeking care at the VA continues to rise.

In addition to staffing issues, federal workers' collective bargaining rights are under threat, prompting unions such as NNU, AFGE, NFFE, and others to sue the Trump administration in defense of these rights.

Consequences of privatizing VA services are highlighted in a VA “Red Team” Executive Roundtable analysis, which notes that spending on private-sector care reached $30 billion in fiscal year 2023, posing a risk to the VA's direct-care system.

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