Heading into Memorial Day, Secretary for the Massachusetts Department of Veterans Services Jon Santiago both raised “significant concerns” about federal cuts to the VA and highlighted the work Massachusetts is doing to support veterans across the state.

“We say we support veterans, we thank veterans for their service, but I’d love to see some action with that, right, and not just words,” said Santiago when asked about federal support for veterans on a segment of CBS’s “Keller at Large” aired Sunday.

“And when you’re talking about cutting services, retracting support, that raises concerns for me, not just for the veterans who are coming back from abroad, which we still have 1000s of folks abroad serving today,” he continued. “But about those who have already paid the price, who have already borne the burden of service to this country.”

The secretary addressed the 15% cut of the VA workforce proposed under the Trump administration, highlighting the danger especially in light of current “backlogs and staff shortages” and recent increases to veterans eligible for services. Under the federal Pact Act of 2022, which increased eligibility for VA services, 1.5 million more veterans are now eligible for the services in Massachusetts.

“You increase millions of people getting the eligibility to get services, but you’re taking away the staff to address their needs,” said Santiago. “It raises some significant concerns.”

Santiago also noted the VA is a “major research hub across the entire country” on WCVB’s “On the Record” segment aired Sunday.

“What they’re doing right now is effectively putting hiring freeze on VA researchers,” Santiago said. “It’s about 200 of them across the country working on 300 trials impacting 10,000 veterans on precisely things like PTSD research, the cardiac pacemaker, liver transplants — that stuff originated from the VA.”

The secretary also spoke to what the Commonwealth is doing for the veterans’ communities, including a $20 million investment targeted towards veteran homelessness, long-term care facilities expansion and more.

“We pride ourselves in Massachusetts with respect to what we’re doing for veterans, I would put us above any state in this country, but there’s always a gap to fill,” said Santiago. “There’s always needs to be addressed, and that begins by engagement with the veteran community.”

At long-term care facilities in Holyoke and Chelsea, Santiago said, care has rebounded from the pandemic lows and the state is planning to double the capacity of the Chelsea facility. Asked about plans for a potential third facility, the secretary said they are “very preliminary” and noted 65% of the facilities are funded through the VA.

The HERO Act, which expanded benefits and modernized services for veterans in Massachusetts, is “100% implemented as of today,” Santiago said, calling it the “most comprehensive piece of veterans legislation in the history of the Commonwealth.”

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The secretary also spoke to the importance of Memorial Day heading into the holiday.

“It’s about reflection and gratitude and really acknowledging the sacrifice borne by generations of Americans for 250-plus years that have allowed us to be who we are, to share these values and to have the freedoms that govern how we live in society today,” Santiago said. “So for me, it’s a moment of gratitude. It’s really a sacred American day.”