'Large-scale and potentially short-term' CBS News Correspondent Scott McFarlane on VA Job Cuts, Potential Government Shutdown

As the federal government faces a looming shutdown, the Trump administration plans to cut up to 80,000 jobs at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) according to internal memos.

CBS News Justice Correspondent Scott McFarlane spoke with News On 6 about the impact of these cuts and the likelihood of a government shutdown if Congress fails to reach a budget agreement.

VA Job Cuts and Impact on Veterans Services

Q: The administration is planning to cut a significant number of jobs at the Department of Veterans Affairs. What do we know about these reductions?

"Large-scale and potentially short-term cuts. A memo obtained by CBS News indicates they're not just cutting a few jobs, but as many as 80,000 jobs nationwide from a department that has roughly 400,000 across the country. It's a big cut, and it could have a big impact on veterans," said McFarlane. "The Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins has said this will not impact what patients, what veterans experience if they show up at a clinic, they show up at a medical center or seek to get one of their Veterans Benefits payments."

McFarlane noted that despite those reassurances, many around the country and in D.C. are still concerned about the plan.

"Elon Musk was pressed about this by Republicans last night during a meeting on Capitol Hill, and he also said this will not impact services, but there are concerns, to put it mildly, that you cut that many people from any agency, you run the risk of extending wait times, of impacting the quality of the services, the cleanliness of the facilities, the ability to handle the pretty crushing patient load nationwide. I'll tell you this, if it does have an impact on Veterans Services, that's a problem, not just for veterans. That is a political problem too," he said.

Q: Here in Oklahoma, there are multiple VA facilities, including a new one under construction that will be named after former Sen. Jim Inhofe. Are any of these projects at risk?

"It's a real good question, of course, not just are there medical centers in Oklahoma, but there are those dozens and dozens of little satellite clinics which patients use for things like eye exams or for more immediate needs. Yes, if you start cutting back personnel, you run the risk of slowing down or at least altering major construction plans. We've seen that in the past," said McFarlane.

Government Shutdown: Will a Deal Be Reached?

Q: President Trump has said he wants to avoid a government shutdown. What needs to happen to prevent it?

McFarlane said that a compromise must be reached by next Friday to keep the government running.

"There's been some Chicken Little on this issue recently," he said. "People saying it's possible, but it doesn't quite seem to happen. There's an elevated concern this time, because Democratic votes will be needed to get the government funded, at least some number of them, and over the past few weeks, they have destroyed the bridges between Republicans and Democrats here in Washington. You saw it at the president's address to Congress Tuesday night. They'll have to rebuild those bridges and do it quickly, or else, a shutdown is not just possible, but likely."