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Carl Higbie used his platform on Carl Higbie FRONTLINE to issue a blunt verdict: the Department of Veterans Affairs is broken and needs radical change so it actually helps the men and women who served. Americans who sweated and bled for this country deserve a VA that works for them, not a sprawling, self-protecting bureaucracy that protects jobs over lives. Newsmax viewers heard Higbie press that point hard, demanding accountability from an agency that’s grown complacent.
The debate on the VA has moved from polite disagreement to hard decisions, with VA Secretary Doug Collins openly saying the department must be restructured and that job cuts are part of making the VA functional again. Collins insisted the changes won’t include cuts to veterans’ healthcare or benefits, framing the shakeup as a necessary step to deliver better services instead of more paperwork. That kind of plain-speaking reform is exactly what conservatives and veterans asked for — real results, not talking points.
Washington’s instinct is always to protect its own, which is why the VA’s announced contract cancellations and plans for large workforce reductions set off a predictable howl from the left and from union bosses. The agency paused some contract terminations amid criticism, showing how pressure from Washington insiders can slow any real effort to eliminate wasteful spending and streamline care. If we’re serious about helping veterans, we can’t let political theater and inertia win; cuts to nonmission-critical bloated contracts and redundant positions must proceed with veterans’ needs as the North Star.
But let’s not pretend the reforms come without human cost — thousands of federal workers who are veterans themselves have been caught up in firings and reorganizations, and many feel betrayed after voting for change only to lose their paychecks. That anger is real and understandable, and conservatives should answer it with better policy, not excuses: prioritize retraining, rapid rehiring into mission-critical roles, and use community care options so veterans see doctors, not empty desks. The goal is simple: protect the veteran, not the bureaucracy.
Conservatives know how to honor service and how to reform institutions that have lost their way — we support choice, local care options, and ruthless oversight of waste, fraud, and abuse. Secretary Collins and reformers talk about giving veterans more options under community care and focusing resources on actual clinical work rather than administrative padding, which is a pragmatic, veteran-first agenda conservatives should champion. If Washington rejects those reforms to defend unions and job security for insiders, it will be choosing its own comfort over the lives of those who defended our liberty.
Higbie’s demand for radical change is not incendiary for its own sake; it’s a rallying cry for a simple patriotic promise — to put the veteran first and the bureaucracy last. Hard decisions will sting, but staying frozen while veterans suffer is a moral failure our country cannot accept. It’s time for hardworking Americans, legislators, and honest leaders to back bold reforms, strip away the dead weight, and restore the VA to its true mission: honoring and caring for America’s heroes.
