Department of Veterans Affairs chief of staff Christopher Syrek sent out a memo outlining plans to cut 80,000 employees by the summer.
Syrek said the VA will work with the Department of Government Efficiency to “move out aggressively, while taking a pragmatic and disciplined approach” in meeting the Trump administration’s goals of downsizing the federal government.
“VA liaisons to DOGE will be integrated into VA RIC operations ensuring positive and continuous communications with the administration through all phases of the operation,” Syrek said in the memo obtained by several news publications, including the Associated Press.
In February, the department cut 1,400 probationary employees after dismissing 1,000 employees about 10 days earlier. Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins defended the cuts by saying they will save the department $83 million per year.
“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,” Collins said in a statement. “These moves will not hurt VA health care, benefits or beneficiaries. In fact, Veterans are going to notice a change for the better.”
The March memo outlined plans to return to 2019 staffing levels; at the time, the department employed 399,000 workers. There are currently 482,000 employees, which includes 459,000 full time workers at the department.
Under the Biden administration, the department increased the department’s size in an effort to accommodate the PACT Act, which increased the number of veterans eligible for benefits. In 2023, the Veterans Health Administration, part of the VA, hired 61,000 new employees.
However, on April 14 of this year, the department plans to deliver its full plans of downsizing to the Office of Personnel Management and the Office of Management and Budget.
Lawmakers are raising concerns about how restructuring the VA will negatively affect its ability to provide services to veterans.
Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA), the top Democrat on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, called the move by the Trump administration an “outright betrayal of veterans.”
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“Gutting VA’s staffing to pre-PACT Act levels will cripple the very system that millions of veterans rely on, denying them access to lifesaving healthcare, claims processing, and education benefits they’ve earned,” Takano said.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Syrek and the VA for comment.
