Reagan creating the VA and giving it a cabinet rank was one of the few issues I have with his presidency, it grew the federal government immensely under his watch and seems to go against his own self-declared philosophy.
Sadly, it would be political suicide today if ANY politician proposed eliminating the VA and transferring its functions to another Dept. (even though I don't think Veterans benefits/treatment would be cut at all, and actually might improve drastically).
Well the VA (Veterans Administration) existed before Reagan upgraded it but yeah, that was one of his worse moves. Few votes were cast against it, easily enough for veto override if he had opposed it.
You’re right that veterans group would throw a hissy fit about the “diss” if you got rid of it, which is a shame.
I think of positions like VA Sec and HUD Sec sitting in on Cabinet meetings about Syria and the like, just silly.
I’d ax a bunch of departments, streamline things. Commerce does what? I know they have the Census Bureau, that can be transfered elsewhere or be an independent agency. Education, give HHS the student loans and get rid of the rest. HUD, see ya. Energy, subsumed into Interior along with the EPA, maybe Agriculture too, cut the farm subsidies.