In December 2018, Baldwin was one of 21 senators to sign a letter to United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie calling it "appalling that the VA is not conducting oversight of its own outreach efforts". A report from the Government Accountability Office stated, "poor leadership at the VA resulted in a misuse of resources and lackluster outreach efforts to at-risk veterans." Baldwin and other senators "are demanding a full accounting of the VA’s budget for suicide prevention and mental health outreach and for the VA to consult with public and mental health outreach experts on how to better track the VA’s performance", and requesting that Wilkie "consult with experts with proven track records of successful public and mental health outreach campaigns with a particular emphasis on how those individuals measure success."