Trump administration plans to cut 80,000 employees from Veterans Affairs, according to internal memo

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: AP

Updated 11:51 AM EST, March 5, 2025


WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Veterans Affairs is planning an “aggressive” reorganization that includes cutting 80,000 jobs from the sprawling agency that provides health care for retired military members, according to an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press.

The VA’s chief of staff, Christopher Syrek, told top level officials at the agency that it had an objective to cut enough employees to return to 2019 staffing levels of just under 400,000. That would require terminating tens of thousands of employees after the VA expanded during the Biden administration, as well as to cover veterans impacted by burn pits under the 2022 PACT Act.

The memo instructs top-level staff to prepare for an agency-wide reorganization in August to “resize and tailor the workforce to the mission and revised structure.” It also calls for agency officials to work with the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency to “move out aggressively, while taking a pragmatic and disciplined approach” to the Trump administration’s goals.

Veterans have already been speaking out against the cuts at the VA, which so far had included a few thousand employees and hundreds of contracts. More than 25% of the VA’s workforce are veterans themselves.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/veterans-affairs-cuts-doge-musk-trump-f587a6bc3db6a460e9c357592e165712

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My dad worked for the VA for 20 years before he passed away (which was 50 years ago). But that was way before it became a "Department" (it was still called the "Veterans Administration" then).

[twodogsbarking]

1. Not the America I had hoped for.

[NotHardly]

2. So much for caring for the Vets

[GreenWave]

3. He is punishing them because he called them "suckers and losers" and we know about it.

[Cheezoholic]

4. They are going to AI everything in government. Thats why so many Tech Bros were sitting at the inauguration n/t

[Bengus81]

5. So...20,000 Vets will lose their job for a tax cut for millionaires and billionaires?

You Republicans in Congress all good with shit like this are ya?? Sure looked like it on vids I've seen of that dog and pony show last night.

[KewlKat]

8. That's 80,000 jobs........not sure how many are vets

Where did you get the 20K figure from?

[Bengus81]

9. From the article..........

Veterans have already been speaking out against the cuts at the VA, which so far had included a few thousand employees and hundreds of contracts. More than 25% of the VA’s workforce are veterans themselves.

[milestogo]

6. Good idea. Piss off the veterans.

Now there's a group you want angry at you.

[bucolic_frolic]

7. Yeah, once we surrender won't be needing any care for veterans /nt

[moniss]

10. Send them to fight and make

promises to them and then stab them in the back, neglect them and cheat them when they come home. Same old song.

[Wonder Why]

11. Well, we are losers, aren't we? You don't hear the majority of our representatives say or fight

for any other description of us, do you?

[cstanleytech]

12. I wonder how many veterans regret now voting and supporting Trump in any way.

I don't feel sorry if it's causing them any hardship either as they brought it on themselves.
The only ones I feel any sympathy for are those that didn't support or vote for the prick.

[Grins]

13. From personal experience I know how powerful Veterans organizations are...

THIS will fire them up!!!! And they will call and write and inundate EVERY member of Congress, screaming at THEM for letting this happen and put their positions in Congress in jeopardy! They will remember.

What is needed is constant messaging to remind those vets - “This is what you voted for!”

[Timeflyer]

14. Veterans, poor people, immigrants, the elderly--the GOP's definition of waste.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

15. Can't say I've heard anyone who said they like the idea

Outside of the MAGA crowd