Veterans Affairs Department scales back DOGE-led plan for over 76,000 layoffs
The Department of Veterans Affairs massively cut down its DOGE-led plan to lay off at least 76,000 people.
WASHINGTON − The Department of Veterans Affairs has massively scaled back a DOGE-backed plan to sack more than 76,000 employees, saying it had "eliminated the need" for the huge workforce cut.
A leaked memo from VA leadership obtained by Paste BN and other outlets in March outlined a plan to shed more than 76,000 workers as part of the Trump administration's widespread efforts to reduce the federal workforce.
The VA has now abandoned that goal, it said in a July 7 announcement.
The Department is "on pace to reduce total VA staff by nearly 30,000 employees by the end of fiscal year 2025, eliminating the need for a large-scale reduction-in-force," it said.
Nearly 17,000 VA employees left their jobs from the beginning of the year through June 1, and the department expects almost 12,000 more to leave by the end of September, according to the announcement.
Under former presidential adivsor Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency, tens of thousands of federal employees were purged from in widespread sackings and through a deferred resignation program, which offered federal workers a buyout to leave their jobs early.
In July, President Donald Trump extended a government-wide hiring freeze until Oct. 15. The freeze, which he imposed by executive order in January, was set to expire on July 15.
The VA said it "has multiple safeguards in place to ensure these staff reductions do not impact Veteran care or benefits." It has claimed throughout the DOGE-led cuts that "mission-critical" positions are exempted from the hiring freeze and layoffs.
Paste BN and other outlets reported in February that some responders on the Veterans Crisis Line, a hotline for veterans at risk of mental health crisis or suicide, were temporarily laid off – they were rehired following an uproar from Democratic lawmakers and labor unions.
Still, widespread fires and rehires across the department sent morale among workers plunging and sparked fears of serious impacts to veterans hospitals that were already severely understaffed and crucial VA-funded research programs.
'A great start'
Veterans Affairs Sec. Doug Collins told Fox News in a July 8 interview that VA leaders conducted a "very thoughtful, very careful study" of the department's structure before implementing layoffs and that 350,000 positions were "protected."
"We've still got a little bit to go. We've got some other things that we want to do in the future. This is a great start," he added.
Peter Kasperowicz, a department spokesperson, said "VA is not planning to make any other major changes to staffing levels beyond those outlined" in the July 7 announcement.
Sen. Jerry Moran, the Republican chair of the Veterans Affairs Committee, said in a July 7 statement that he had spoken with Collins and "appreciate his efforts to make certain veterans are at the center of any changes at the VA."
Democratic lawmakers stressed the workforce reduction would still amount to the loss of tens of thousands of VA workers which would have a devastating impact on veterans' healthcare.
“This announcement makes clear VA is bleeding employees across the board at an unsustainable rate because of the toxic work environment created by this Administration and DOGE’s slash and trash policies," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, the committee's top Democrat, said in a statement.
"It is shameful, and it will continue to ruin veterans’ trust in VA for years to come," he added.
But some labor unions representing federal workers celebrated the announcement.
“Because AFGE members across the country raised our voices, built coalitions, and took action, that plan was stopped in its tracks," Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), said in a statement. "This is a major victory for federal workers, for veterans, and for the American people."