Veterans Affairs Department plans to cut thousands more jobs as part of Trump’s cost-cutting efforts
Washington – The Department of Veterans Affairs plans to cut thousands of employees in the coming months as part of President Trump’s initiative to reduce the size of the federal government, a memo from the agency’s chief of staff shows.
The memorandum, sent to Veterans Affairs officials on Tuesday and obtained by CBS News, describes the agency’s power reduction plan, which is expected to be held in August. The department aims to return its workforce to 400,000 employees in the 2019 class, cutting more than 70,000 workers.
lead Secretary Doug CollinsAccording to the agency Labor Dashboard27% of them are veterans.
When CBS News asked who would be fired, probation workers, doctors, executives or some veterans, the White House said the president “refused to accept VA bureaucracy and swelling, which hindered veterans’ ability to obtain timely and quality care.”
“By making the VA workforce more efficient, President Trump and Secretary Collins will ensure the increased efficiency and transparency of our nation’s heroes while retaining the benefits they gain,” Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement.
The Department of Veterans Affairs “works with Mendog leaders and will actively move out while adopting a pragmatic and disciplined approach to identifying and eliminating waste, reducing management and bureaucracy, reducing footprints and improving employee efficiency.”
Mr. Trump created the White House Ministry of Government EfficiencyHe said it was led by Elon Musk to oversee his plans to reduce the size of the federal government and cut spending.
VA’s memorandum estimates that part of its savings due to its cuts “will be reinvested in the veterans we serve, as well as the systems needed to support our workforce and carry out our mission.”
The memorandum is part of a VA effort to conduct a department-wide review of the executive order signed by Mr. Trump last month that directs agencies to be responsible for “quickly” planning to launch a “massive” workforce.
“This work will require the entire VA staff and organizations to work together in a collaborative manner and coordinate actions with Doge and the government as a whole to achieve the expected results,” the directive stated.
It sets a timeline for implementing this force reduction and restructuring plan, which will begin this month and peak at the termination before the end of the fiscal year on September 30.
As part of his administration’s cutting initiative, Mr. Trump provides the entire federal workforce, which is composed of more than 2 million people, Deferred resignation planDuring this period, they can quit their jobs, but keep full salary and benefits until September 30.
The White House said about 75,000 employees accepted the offer, far below It is expected to be 200,000 To make a so-called buyout.
Thousands of probation employees, usually believed to have lasted less than a year, have also been fired. In a memorandum of January 20, the Office of Personnel Management directed the head of the agency to determine all employees during the probation period and to determine whether it should continue.
But a federal judge ruled last week Massive shooting may be ILLEGAL, OPM Modified memorandum To clarify that “it is not directed to take any performance-based measures for probation employees. The agency has final decision-making power and responsibility for such personnel actions.”
Virginia dismissed more than 2,400 employees last month and said the department had more than 40,000 probation workers.
But Democrats warn that firing thousands of VA employees will have a devastating impact on veterans in the United States, forcing them to wait longer medical services to rule on disability claims and talk to someone in the veteran crisis crisis.
“Donald Trump and Elon Musk are escalating their full-scale, driverless attacks on veterans and putting the health care and benefits they receive at serious risk,” Sen. Patty Murray, a Democratic Washington, said in a statement. “It’s outrageous that the two billionaires believe they can launch thousands of people to manage the service and care of nine million veterans nationwide. It’s an immoral immorality and a violation of our divine commitment to taking care of retirees after they return home.”
Murray is the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Work Doge The Trump administration’s reduction in the size of the federal government has sparked numerous legal challenges and concerns from Democrats and unions, some of which filed lawsuits that challenged Mr. Trump’s actions.
and
Contributed to this report.
