Amid government cuts, concerns rise for veterans' services and programs

DETROIT (FOX 2) - The Trump administration, led by DOGE, has made numerous cuts to government spending, but some worry about important programs being lost in the mix.

Local perspective:

"My hope is they don't cut any of those services - because a lot of women rely on those services at the VA," said Sylvia Ridley.

Ridley is one of them. Her daughter, Crystal Massingill, is another. Both are veterans - Crystal served in the Air Force - her mother - in the Army.

"I have a total of 34 years of service - I served 22 years active duty - and 12 years in the reserves," said Ridley.

Now both work with homeless veterans at the All Things Women shelter - and they're paying close attention to headlines like this - 'VA dismisses more than 1,000 employees.'

"How many of those people were veterans themselves," Massingill said. "They served their country and then they come home and then decide that within their careers they want to continue to support their fellow servicemen and women. And so now they're unemployed - so where does that leave them?"

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D) weighed in on the cuts, saying she is worried about what's happening.

"These are veterans who served their country that are being fired," she said.

Dingell's husband, John Dingell, was a veteran and congressman, and the Detroit VA is named after him.

The congresswoman is asking the Detroit and Ann Arbor VA hospitals how many people have been fired, how many have taken the buyout.

She also wants to look into the wait times, and what impact are the cuts having on services and important research.

"We don't know what the staffing levels are going to be at these hospitals and other veterans hospitals around the country," she said. "And we have a responsibility to our veterans to make sure they're getting the healthcare they need."

The other side:

Doug Collins is the new secretary of Veterans Affairs.

"The reality is veterans benefits are not getting cut," he said.

Collins says benefits won't be cut and services will be improved.

"I'm telling you what - we've got DOGE representatives here doing what they are supposed to be doing," he said. "That is, looking at our contracts - making sure we have the best run facility for efficiency, to make sure who? The veterans get the care they need."

And Dingell says she wants to make sure that care isn't compromised.

"We have a moral obligation to our veterans," she said.