BREAKING: Senator Ruben Gallego draws a line in the sand by announcing that he’s putting a hold on Donald Trump’s nominees to run the Department of Veterans Affairs amidst cuts to the lifesaving agency.

This is how you play hardball against MAGA…

“Talking to veterans, people that I served with as well as seeing some of what’s happening in Arizona, I decided that whatever tool I have to fix the situation, I’m going to use it. And this is one of the few tools I have at this point,” Gallego, himself a Marine veteran, stated.

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The hold will complicate Richard Topping’s nomination process among others. Topping has been selected to serve the VA’s Chief Financial Officer — a crucial role as the administration works to gut the agency.

Holds prevent the Senate from moving quickly to a vote, possibly tying up hours and even days of floor time. In the process, Gallego will be able to generate attention for the VA and showcase to the public exactly how terrible these nominees are.

The Associated Press previously reported that Trump’s lackeys are planning to cut over 80,000 jobs, dropping the agency to around 400,000 employees, the woefully inadequate levels it had before the pandemic. The VA is already understaff and overworked.

These cuts will mean that our brave veterans receive inferior care if they receive care at all. It’s all part of the Republican dream of fully privatizing the VA so that the money flows into the pockets of billionaires and corporations, generating profits as our veterans suffer.