Privatizing the Department of Veterans Affairs would be a massive risk that could threaten the health care of millions of veterans, yet the commander in chief continues to flirt with the idea of pawning off former service members on a ill-equipped private sector.

In response to the latest from The New York Times, United States Marine Corps veteran and DNC Deputy Press Secretary Brian Gabriel released the following statement:

“Simply put, Trump will betray millions of veterans by rerouting billions of dollars from veterans’ hospitals into the private sector. The health of America’s guardians should remain firmly in the hands of the U.S. government, not corporations who would happily place profits over people.”

The New York Times: V.A. Seeks to Redirect Billions of Dollars Into Private Care

By Jennifer Steinhauer and Dave Philipps

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs is preparing to shift billions of dollars from government-run veterans’ hospitals to private health care providers, setting the stage for the biggest transformation of the veterans’ medical system in a generation.

Under proposed guidelines, it would be easier for veterans to receive care in privately run hospitals and have the government pay for it. Veterans would also be allowed access to a system of proposed walk-in clinics, which would serve as a bridge between V.A. emergency rooms and private providers, and would require co-pays for treatment.

[…]

If put into effect, the proposed rules — many of whose details remain unclear as they are negotiated within the Trump administration — would be a win for the once-obscure Concerned Veterans for America, an advocacy group funded by the network founded by the billionaire industrialists Charles G. and David H. Koch, which has long championed increasing the use of private sector health care for veterans.

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