The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is planning to slash approximately 72,000 jobs—roughly 15% of its workforce— as part of a sweeping reorganization aimed at reducing bureaucracy and optimizing operations, VA Secretary Doug Collins confirmed Wednesday.
The move comes as the VA undergoes a “department-wide review” under President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Workforce Optimization Initiative, an effort aimed at streamlining federal agencies. Collins said the job cuts are necessary to return the VA’s staffing levels to approximately 398,000 employees—comparable to its 2019 workforce size—while ensuring the agency remains focused on delivering services to veterans.
A Controversial Downsizing Effort
The announcement follows a report from the Associated Press detailing an internal VA memo that initially outlined an even more aggressive plan to cut 80,000 jobs. The memo, sent by VA Chief of Staff Christopher Syrek, instructed agency leaders to prepare for a workforce restructuring set to take place this August.
Collins, in a video statement, defended the reductions as a necessary step to eliminate inefficiencies and reduce spending.
“There are many people complaining about the changes we’re making at the VA, but what most of them are really saying is, ‘Let’s just keep doing the same thing that the VA has always done,’” Collins said. “No, not gonna happen. The days of kicking the can down the road and measuring VA’s progress by how much money it spends and how many people it employs, rather than how many veterans it helps, are over.”
Collins insisted that no veteran benefits or healthcare services would be affected by the cuts. However, critics are raising concerns about the impact on services, especially as many of the jobs targeted were created in recent years to address a backlog of veteran claims and expand healthcare access.
Pushback from Union and Lawmakers
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest VA employee union, strongly opposed the layoffs, arguing they would undermine the department’s ability to serve veterans.
AFGE National President Everett Kelley blasted the reductions, pointing to the 2022 PACT Act, which expanded coverage for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits, as a key reason the VA had hired thousands of new employees in recent years.
“The VA has been severely understaffed for many years, resulting in longer wait times for veterans in need,” Kelley said. “The DOGE plunder of career VA employees, adding to the illegal mass firings of thousands of probationary employees, can only make matters worse.”
Kelley accused the administration of using the cuts as a pretext to privatize VA services, calling on Congress to intervene.
“Until Elon Musk and Donald Trump came on the scene, America never turned its back on our veterans and their families,” he added. “Their reckless plan to wipe out the VA’s ability to deliver on America’s promise to veterans will backfire on millions of veterans and their families who risked their lives in service for our country.”
Lawmakers Divided on the Plan
Congressional leaders have responded with a mix of concern and support. Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.), a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, defended the initiative as necessary to improve efficiency.
“Look, I care for our veterans. One out of 10 constituents of mine are veterans. It’s a real issue in eastern North Carolina,” Murphy said in a CNN interview. “But the real issue is also when somebody can’t get benefits and they’ve put off their doctor’s appointments for eight or 10 months when they can’t get care. That is where an agency has failed.”
Still, Murphy admitted he couldn’t guarantee that veterans’ healthcare and benefits wouldn’t be affected by the staffing reductions.
Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers and veterans’ advocacy groups have raised alarm over the move, arguing that slashing the workforce could lead to longer wait times and diminished services. The VA had already cut 1,400 employees last Monday and 1,000 in February, signaling that further reductions could strain the agency’s operations.
Contract Cancellations and Future Uncertainty
In addition to the job cuts, Collins previously announced the cancellation of up to 875 VA contracts, though the department paused that effort following public backlash.
Despite the controversy, Collins remains steadfast in his decision, stating that the VA must prioritize efficiency over headcount.
“We regret anyone who loses their job, and it’s extraordinarily difficult for me, especially as a VA leader and your secretary, to make these types of decisions,” he said. “But the federal government does not exist to employ people. It exists to serve people. At the VA, we are focused on serving veterans better than ever before, and doing so requires changing and improving the organization.”
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