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Enough Is Enough: A VA Social Worker Speaks OutBy Aimee PotterMy name is Aimee Potter, and I am a social worker at the Department of Veterans Affairs. I have the honor of working alongside some of the most motivated, resilient, injured, and compassionate people I have ever known—our Veterans. They are also among the most ignored, kicked around, challenged, and forgotten. Many have endured profound suffering long before they ever walked through the doors of a VA hospital. My work focuses on reducing overdose risk and saving lives without judgment. It's called harm reduction—a public health approach grounded in dignity, evidence, and compassion. It is a principle I have lived by for most of my adult life, and I remain grateful for the opportunity to walk alongside people toward any positive change, no matter how small. January 24, 2026 The year 2026 has already delivered devastating losses to a system that was already stretched beyond its limits. On January 24, 2026, a VA ICU nurse, Alex Pretti, was killed by federal agents. He was killed after asking a bystander a simple human question: "Are you okay?" Let that sink in. What have we become when Americans are killed by paramilitary forces created and empowered by our own government—when compassion is treated as a threat? Enough. Enough complacency. Enough injustice. Enough murder. For those who speak out and are silenced with violence, we have a duty to uplift their voices—and the voices of those who can no longer speak. We cannot allow ICE or Border Patrol to terrorize our VA facilities, our communities, or the Veterans we serve. No human being deserves to die for advocating for the safety, dignity, or fairness of another. The Lies Came Quickly Shortly after the shooting, Stephen Miller took to social media and labeled Alex Pretti a "domestic terrorist," falsely claiming he had "tried to assassinate federal law enforcement." These statements were made without publicly confirmed evidence and before any full investigation had occurred. What I saw in the videos—and what countless others have seen—tells a different story. Alex's last known words were reportedly, "Are you okay?" That aligns with everything we've heard from VA nurses, trainees, and colleagues who worked with him: a man of integrity, compassion, and heart. A nurse who brought peace to Veterans at the end of their lives. I mourn for Alex's family. I mourn for Renee Good's family. We carry a responsibility to honor them by telling the truth. This Is Bigger Than One Death As federal workers, we are witnessing the systematic dismantling of public service in real time—particularly within the VA. Thousands of VA employees have been cut. These aren't abstract numbers. These are schedulers, housekeepers, psychologists, dental staff, outreach workers—people whose labor makes Veteran care possible. You cannot run hospitals with "line staff" alone. Care collapses when the infrastructure around it is gutted. At the same time, healthcare costs rise, Medicaid and SNAP are slashed, and social services are hollowed out. These cuts don't just harm communities—they directly harm Veterans, many of whom rely on the very safety nets being destroyed. This administration then turns around and claims the VA is "failing," using that manufactured crisis to justify privatization. But community healthcare systems are already overwhelmed. Privatization doesn't mean faster care—it means longer delays, fragmented treatment, and Veterans losing access to specialized providers trained in combat trauma and military sexual trauma. That is not care. That is abandonment. Silencing Workers, Hurting Veterans The elimination of collective bargaining rights has created a culture of fear inside the VA. Workers are afraid to speak, attend meetings, or advocate for patients. Performance appraisals are now weaponized. "Do more with less" has become policy—with no checks, no balance, and no accountability. We've already seen the consequences: • Psychologists are pressured to limit psychotherapy to six months using a one-size-fits-all model—despite clear evidence that many high-risk Veterans require long-term care. We have lost patients to suicide under these constraints. • Dental clinics are forced to change schedules without bargaining, leading to cancellations, delays, and worsening access—while hiring freezes prevent staffing solutions. In the absence of meaningful labor protections, unions have been forced to rely on elected officials just to demand basic transparency from management. Targeting Immigrants, Targeting Care In December 2025, VA and DHS officials began compiling data on non-US citizen employees and affiliates, sharing it with immigration authorities. This has sown fear among doctors, nurses, researchers, trainees, and caregivers—many of whom are essential to the VA's functioning. Veterans are afraid too—especially those who rely on immigrant caregivers or whose own immigration status is precarious. This fear drives people away from care, accelerating the push toward privatization while hollowing out the VA from within. This is not accidental. It is ideological. And it is cruel. We Resist We resist authoritarianism. We resist privatization. We resist the dismantling of public service for the benefit of billionaires. Federal workers do not have the right to strike—but we do have the responsibility to organize, to build unions, and to protect one another. Coalition-building with labor groups, immigrant rights organizations, Veterans' groups, and community coalitions has been essential—and will continue to be. Veterans rely on Medicaid. On SNAP. On housing programs. On harm reduction. These attacks are attacks on them. We show up every day to serve with dignity. And we will keep showing up. They want us scared. They want us to be silent. But some of us will keep speaking—because the cost of silence is too high. This fight is far from over. Solidarity And a poem I have written for these times:
When will the terror end
Leave our neighbors alone
Minnesota set the stage
Minneapolis, Chicago, LA, and beyond
And we replay the words today
Honor the fallen in useless deaths
By the massacres of families and workers' rights
Of a country we once called our homes
Take back this power, this unbreathable time
Alex Pretti and Renee Good
Be spared from violence from the ICE army and man Aimee Potter is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and AFGE steward, Local 789.
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