(CLO) The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is planning to cut more than 80,000 employees, according to a leaked internal memo, sparking outrage and confusion from veterans' organizations and Democrats.
VA Chief of Staff Christopher Syrek sent this memo to senior department officials on Tuesday, outlining the goal of bringing staff numbers back to 2019 levels, around under 400,000. This would mean approximately 82,000 job cuts.
Flag of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Photo: va.gov
The memorandum also directs department staff to coordinate with the Department for Government Efficiency (DOGE) to implement these cuts. The two main objectives are "eliminating waste" and "increasing work efficiency".
The scale of job cuts at the VA is significantly larger than at other government agencies and affects one of the most respected groups in America – veterans.
"We are deeply saddened by anyone losing their job. As a VA leader, I find this incredibly difficult. But the federal government doesn't exist to create jobs, it exists to serve the people," Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins stated in a video posted on X on Wednesday.
The VA currently provides many benefits and medical assistance to veterans. Opponents of the plan argue that the cuts will negatively impact the quality of services.
Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents 311,000 VA employees, warned: "Veterans and their families will suffer unnecessary losses."
Billionaire Elon Musk and his team were tasked by President Donald Trump with cutting the size and costs of the federal government. To date, approximately 25,000 government employees have been laid off, and another 75,000 have voluntarily left, out of a total of 2.3 million federal employees.
Democratic Senator Patty Murray strongly criticized the plan, calling it "a full-blown and uncompromising attack on veterans" that puts their health insurance benefits "seriously at risk".
Senator Jerry Moran, the Republican chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, also expressed dissatisfaction with the way the cuts were being implemented and called on the VA to work with Congress to "make the necessary reforms."
"The VA needs reform, but efforts to streamline operations and improve efficiency must be done more responsibly," Moran said in a statement.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly affirmed that the Trump administration would protect the rights of veterans, but would not tolerate "bureaucracy and inefficiency" within the VA's administrative apparatus.
Senator Lindsey Graham, an ally of Trump, also expressed surprise at the scale of the cuts. "Surely the VA can streamline. But if you're a veteran and you read this in the newspaper, you're bound to be shocked," he said.
Naveed Shah, political director of Common Defense – a grassroots veterans' group – criticized the plan for mass layoffs.
Some observers suggest this could be the first step in a roadmap to privatize the entire VA, gradually shifting veterans' healthcare services to private organizations instead of being directly run by the government.
Veterans organizations are planning to lobby Congress to reconsider this policy of cuts, in order to protect those who have served the country.
Cao Phong (according to NYT, CNBC, The Guardian)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/nuoc-my-hoang-mang-khi-80000-nhan-vien-bo-cuu-chien-binh-sap-bi-sa-thai-post337276.html
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