WARNER, KAINE PRESS VA ON ELIMINATION OF OVER 1,700 POSITIONS IN VIRGINIA, TENS OF THOUSANDS NATIONWIDE

WASHINGTON, May 15 -- Sen. Mark R. Warner issued the following press release:

U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) are pressing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on their elimination of tens of thousands of positions nationwide, a decision that has hit the Commonwealth particularly hard. Virginia is home to more than 629,000 veterans, one of the largest veteran populations in the country, and the second-highest share of veterans as a percentage of population among all states. In just a matter of months from last fall through January of this year, more than 1,700 vacant positions have been taken off the books across Virginia, including the elimination of more than 700 vacancies at the Hampton VAMC, 300 at the Richmond V...