Tangle PREVIEW: SPECIAL EDITION - Will Kaback interviews journalist Jasper Craven about the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and why its being targeted with cuts by the Trump administration.
Mar 21, 2026
Jasper Craven, a journalist who covers military and veterans affairs, discusses the sprawling role of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. He walks through VA programs beyond healthcare. He examines staffing losses, why recent political forces are pushing cuts and privatization, and how scandals have been used to justify reform.
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VA Is A Broad Public Healthcare And Services System
- The VA is a sprawling federal agency that provides healthcare, benefits, research, housing vouchers, job training, and policing for about 9 million veterans.
- Jasper Craven emphasizes the VA functions like a near-public healthcare system and runs a major medical research and homeless-veteran support operation.
VA's Role In Progressive Policy Proof Of Concept
- The VA's mission includes progressive policies like the GI Bill, housing support, and expansive public healthcare that Bernie Sanders cited as proof of concept for Medicare-for-All.
- Craven argues those programs lift people out of poverty and anchor a broader progressive vision of government-provided care.
Second Term Accelerated A Staff Exodus
- Mass staff departures during Trump's second term accelerated trends that began earlier, driven by deliberate policy and morale collapse.
- Craven links personnel exodus to both administrative push to cut headcount and workers quitting over declining care quality.