At Local VFW, Deluzio Tears Apart Trump VA for Stalling Cancer Trials, Putting Western PA Veterans at Risk

SHARPSBURG, PA — Today, Navy and Iraq War veteran Congressman Deluzio joined with members of his Veterans Advisory Council at a VFW Post in Sharpsburg to highlight how the Trump Administration is putting veteran lives at risk and hiding it from the American people. This was recently reported by ProPublica. Especially concerning is the reporting that VA clinical trials for multiple types of cancer treatment in Western Pennsylvania were stalled due to staffing cuts and an ongoing hiring freeze at the Department. 

“This Administration is putting veteran lives at risk in Western Pennsylvania and all across the country—and they are hiding it from the American people,” said Congressman Deluzio. “What else do you call staffing disruptions so intense that they are stalling cancer treatment clinical trials and disrupting suicide prevention work? These are real life, dangerous impacts on America’s veterans—all of whom signed a blank check to serve or even die for this country. The American people expect our government to pay the cost of war and that means delivering the care and benefits that my fellow veterans earned.” 

The ProPublica article went into detail about the impacts that the Trump Administration’s actions are having within the VA Pittsburgh Health System (VAPHS). Specifically, internal emails from Pittsburgh VA highlighted that the January hiring freeze impacted seven clinical trials. This included treatment for metastatic head and neck cancer, lung cancer, kidney transplantation, cardiovascular disease and opioid overdose. Planned enrollment for these trials and treatments was for 500, and since the hiring freeze, enrollment was frozen at 75. VAPHS has lost 20 research staff so far, and estimated they will lose more than 100 additional staff over the next 6 months. VA research studies on suicide prevention and veteran toxic exposure were also impacted.  

Today, Congressman Deluzio sent a letter to the VA Pittsburgh Director asking questions about the status of these clinical trials as well as the ways that mental healthcare may have been impacted by the Trump Administration's actions. Recent reporting from the New York Times has uncovered how VA staffing cuts and mandate to end remote work has negatively impacted mental healthcare at the VA. 

At the press conference, Congressman Deluzio was joined by fellow veteran and Veterans Advisory Council member, Curtis Lloyd, as well as American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) National Vice President for District 3, Phil Glover. 

Photos of the event are here and a recording of the presser is here.

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