“Medical professionals, crisis hotline responders, and claims processors are desperately needed to keep the VA running,” Embrich wrote in Rolling Stone. “Now, with hiring frozen…veterans will wait longer for care, disability claims will pile up, and crisis lines—lifelines for veterans on the brink—will be understaffed.”

Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins on Thursday defended the Trump administration's recent layoffs at the department, arguing that cuts have not been made to "critical health care" or other benefits.