The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) plans to eliminate 80,000 jobs in August as part of an "aggressive" reorganization, according to an internal memo obtained by the Associated Press.
The memo was sent by VA chief of staff Christopher Syrek and informs top-level officials that they must prepare to "resize and tailor the workforce to the mission and revised structure."
Agency officials should work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to "move out aggressively, while taking a pragmatic and disciplined approach" to the goals of the administration, according to AP.
The cutbacks will reduce the VA workforce to just under 400,000, which was its level in 2019. The Biden administration added tens of thousands of jobs, including through the 2022 PACT Act, which expanded coverage to veterans affected by burn pits.
The Hill reported that the VA has already had several thousand positions eliminated since President Donald Trump entered the White House.
In addition, VA Secretary Doug Collins canceled as many as 875 contracts last Tuesday, but the following day that action was delayed by the VA amid criticism from veterans’ groups and Democrat congressmen.
At the time, Collins defended the cutback, saying "these and other recent personnel decisions are extraordinarily difficult, but VA is focused on allocating its resources to help as many veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors as possible," according to The Hill. "These moves will not hurt VA health care, benefits or beneficiaries. In fact, veterans are going to notice a change for the better."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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