According to an internal memo, the Department of Veterans Affairs will be undergoing a “reorganization” that will lead to the loss of over 80,000 jobs.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is a governmental agency that provides healthcare and various services for millions of Veterans and their families.
Christopher Syrek, the VA’s chief of staff, told top-level officials at the agency that he had an objective to cut enough employees to return to the level of employees that the agency had in 2019, which would be just under 400,000.
The memo has instructed officials to prepare for these sweeping changes that are to take place in August of 2025. Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins has reassured that these cuts would not affect veterans’ healthcare or benefits. Collins says, “This administration is finally going to give the veterans what they want,” and “President Trump has a mandate for generational change in Washington and that’s exactly what we’re going to deliver at the VA.”
Doug Collins also stated on Wednesday night, on X, “Now, we regret anyone who loses their job and it’s extraordinarily difficult for me, especially as a VA leader and your secretary, to make these types of decisions, but the federal government does not exist to employ people. It exists to serve people.”
This decision has not gone without criticism. Michael Missal, who was the Veterans Affairs inspector general for 9 years until he was fired by President Trump last month. Missal has told the AP that the VA is already suffering from “lack of expertise” at the top levels. “What’s going to happen is the VA’s not going to perform as well for veterans, and veterans are going to get harmed.”
Richard Blumenthal, the top democrat on the Senate committee that oversees the VA, has spoken out in opposition of this decision. “Their plan prioritizes private sector profits over veterans’ care, balancing the budget on the backs of those who served. It’s a shameful betrayal, and veterans will pay the price for their unforgivable corruption, incompetence, and immorality.”
This decision will be going into action in August of 2025, and there have been no updates as of now.
