Togus VA Police Positions Still Under Review, Not Cut

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) raised concerns after the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) recently directed the Togus VA Medical Center in Maine to make cuts to vacant positions. Among those cut were vacant police officer positions, which the medical center had been prevented from filling while the positions underwent reclassification reviews by the VA. In a hearing of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee (SVAC), King asked VA Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration Mark Engelbaum about the unfairness of the VA forcing Togus to cut the positions when remaining vacant was due to a VA required review.

At the end of the discussion about the pending review, Senator King asked Mr. Engelbaum directly whether the positions in question had necessarily been lost, and Mr. Engelbaum confirmed that they had not.

VA Police are armed and uniformed federal law enforcement officers within the VA responsible for the protection of VA Medical Centers (VAMCs) and other facilities such as Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs), Health Care Centers (HCCs), annexes, and other facilities operated

Representing one of the states with the highest rates of military families and veterans per capita, Senator King is a staunch advocate for America's servicemembers and veterans. Additionally, King has repeatedly spoken out against cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs workforce. Last month, he introduced bipartisan legislation that would require the VA to develop a long-term workforce strategy to improve outcomes at the VA. During a SVAC hearing in January, King pressed VA Secretary Doug Collins to release the VA contracts that he canceled, including those canceled in Maine, so that veterans are aware of potential impacts on patient care and benefits. Last year, he sent a letter to Secretary Doug Collins raising concerns about a leaked report that highlighted plans called for by Elon Musk's DOGE to cut 83,000 VA employees. Earlier this year, he was honored by The American Legion with its 2026 Distinguished Public Service Award. Last year, Senator King was honored by the Disabled American Veterans as its 2025 Legislator of the Year. He was also recognized by the Wounded Warrior Project as the 2024 Legislator of the Year for his "outstanding legislative effort and achievement to improve the lives of the wounded, ill, and injured veterans."

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