Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins gave his first testimony on Capitol Hill since his confirmation in early February, answering at-times heated questions from Democrats on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee.
Several Democrats took aim at the 15% staff reduction Collins proposed in February via a video announcement.
"If you fire the people who have been hired in the last five years, you will be firing physicians, nurses, surgeons, counselors, workers who are front line. You cannot slash and trash the VA without eliminating those essential positions, which provide access and mobility of healthcare. It simply cannot be done," Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal said.
Collins responded, claiming the number is a target that has not yet been decided on or implemented.
"There's verbiage being said from the dais that I would like to say, as I have said already, that there is a goal of looking at a 15% reduction stated on several occasions. Already saying we're going to fire 83,000 employees -- that is wrong," he said.
Collins said the department's official number of staff reductions implemented so far is roughly 1,000.
-ABC News' Nathan Luna
