Delaware’s federal delegation hosted its annual Veterans Summit in New Castle Monday.
Former Senator Tom Carper created the summit, and the state's current Congresswoman and Senators came together to answer veterans and leaders’ questions at the Major Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III National Guard/Reserve Center.
Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester said her goal was to talk about her projects and priorities as well as learn what Delaware’s veterans want to see moving forward.
“We're proud of the VA here in Delaware for the work that they've been able to do, but we also recognize that they're facing cuts in staff,” Blunt Rochester said. “They need resources to make sure that we can build these facilities that are providing the health care. And we also know that funding is important for us to be able to support our veterans.”
The VA is set to lay off 30 thousand staff members nationwide.
Sen. Chris Coons voiced similar worries.
“One of the things I wanted to hear today was, ‘how is that impacting the levels of service?’” Coons said. “The VA here in Delaware, across all three counties, is doing a good and solid job at delivering quality health care for our veterans.”
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act became public law earlier this month and is set to cut food assistance and health coverage from millions of people nationwide.
That put 32% of Delaware veterans at risk, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
The Wilmington Veterans Affairs Medical Center celebrated its 75th year helping Delaware’s vets at the event. They remain committed to expanding care, according to VA officials’ presentations.
The VA plans to expand services available in southern Delaware and is currently looking for a facility. A VA spokesperson said they hope to see that come to fruition by 2026.
McBride said she worked on expanding primary and dental care further downstate during her time in the State Senate.
“The attacks on funding, the attacks on the federal workforce – including in the VA at the federal level – that we've seen from the administration undermine the local VA’s critical work in expanding access to care to Sussex and Kent to fill the very real and growing need that exists there,” McBride said.
McBride added this is a multifaceted issue. She also hopes to recruit and retain health care providers at the VA and in the private health care space.
That will take accessible housing and childcare, McBride said.
“I'll continue to work on that because at the end of the day, there is no single veterans issue,” McBride said. “Every issue is a veterans issue, and we can't solve these healthcare deserts for veterans if we don't look holistically at the healthcare system, lower costs for everyone and recruit more providers to the state.”
Coons said he and his colleagues were also interested to hear about updates on how veterans have been affected by the PACT Act, which passed in 2022 and ensures veterans and survivors exposed to toxic substances get care and benefits.
One commenter said while the PACT Act acknowledges adverse effects of pesticides on veterans and their families, it does not explicitly acknowledge birth defects passed on to the children of parents who fought in the Gulf War. The commenter asked the delegation what it would take to officially acknowledge that sect of people.
“One of the most important things for us is to make sure that we have the data,” Blunt Rochester said. “... We need to make sure that we're not just looking at the veteran but also the impact that it might have had on the birth of their children. And so this was one of the things that came out of today's discussion that we as a delegation will follow up on: Number one, getting that data, and number two, seeing if there needs to be an amendment to the PACT Act.”
Coons said he would welcome a follow up meeting to explore the potential amendment. Congresswoman Sarah McBride concurred, saying she was interested in working together to introduce a House companion.
