The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on Monday announced the termination of an additional 1,400 employees, just weeks after cutting 1,000 workers in a move that has fueled concerns over transparency and staffing shortages. The VA stated that those dismissed were “non-mission critical” probationary employees who had been with the agency for less than two years, with many serving in diversity, equity, and inclusion-related roles.
The agency justified the firings by saying they would save more than $83 million per year, which would be redirected toward healthcare, benefits, and other services for veterans.
“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,” VA Secretary Doug Collins said. “These moves will not hurt VA health care, benefits, or beneficiaries. In fact, Veterans are going to notice a change for the better.”
Democratic Lawmakers and Veterans Groups Condemn Firings
The move follows the February 13 termination of 1,000 VA employees, a decision that was met with widespread criticism from Democratic lawmakers and veterans’ organizations.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), the ranking member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, denounced the latest round of firings as an “illegal termination” that worsens staffing shortages at a time of increasing demand for VA services.
“Doug Collins continues to put the interests of veterans last with additional indiscriminate firings of VA employees,” Blumenthal said. “We know these terminations are already impairing the Department’s ability to deliver timely and quality care and benefits to veterans, especially as it works to serve more veterans than ever before.”
He warned that the firings would damage trust in the VA and make it harder to recruit and retain qualified staff.
Confusion Over Who’s Behind the Firings
The dismissals are part of the Trump administration’s broader effort, spearheaded by the Department of Government Efficiency, to shrink the federal workforce. The administration aims to trim the 2.4 million-person civil service, including the VA’s nearly 480,000 employees who serve over 9 million veterans.
However, lawmakers say they have been left in the dark about the details of the firings and how they might impact veterans.
“There is an almost total lack of transparency and communication here,” Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) said last week. “I don’t know who’s in charge of these firings. I don’t know whether it’s the Department of Government Efficiency, or the White House, or who.”
VA Defends Its Decision Amid Hiring Push
The VA maintains that its workforce remains strong, with nearly 40,000 probationary employees still on staff, most of whom serve in mission-critical roles. The department also emphasized that it is actively hiring for more than 300,000 mission-critical positions, which are exempt from the federal hiring freeze.
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