March 27, 2025
Democrat Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is asking President Trump to rethink the policy of having all federal workers go into the office or be fired. The senator says, federal employees who work as psychiatrists and therapists for the VA, often do telehealth video visits, and Gillibrand says those federal employees should not be subject to this rule.
From Sen. Gillibrand’s Office: “On his first day in office, President Trump issued a memo demanding that federal employees return to in-person work. The order included VA mental health professionals, who often worked remotely as a way to reach patients in isolated rural areas. As a result, many VA psychiatrists and therapists are now forced to conduct sensitive telehealth appointments from crowded offices, compromising patient privacy and potentially violating ethics regulations and professional mental health care standards. Trump has additionally paused hiring for critical positions that support veteran mental health, including suicide crisis hotline responders, and plans to fire 80,000 VA staff by the end of the year. Gillibrand is calling on President Trump to reevaluate return to office policies and ensure that veterans’ needs are being met”.
