President Donald Trump’s administration is reportedly slashing 80,000 jobs from the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) in an “aggressive” reorganization, according to a memo obtained by the Associated Press (AP) Wednesday.
Christopher Syrek, the VA Chief of Staff, reportedly told top officials in the department that the move is intended to return the VA to 2019 staffing levels at 400,000 employees, according to the memo. The move comes as the Trump administration looks to cut excess spending and waste from the entire federal bureaucracy, with the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk, taking an ax to several federal initiatives and departments.
“Let’s deal in facts: Facts are we are not cutting healthcare,” VA Secretary Doug Collins said on the Faulkner Focus Tuesday. “Facts are we are not cutting benefits — just last week we finished more veteran benefit disability claims earlier in the year than we ever had.”
The VA requested $369.3 billion for fiscal year 2025, a 21.6% increase from FY 2024, according to the department’s official budget request. Moreover, the VA initially anticipated supporting 448,170 full-time employees in 2025.
As of September 2024, 27% of VA employees are veterans, according to department statistics.
Collins stressed in early February that DOGE representatives were focusing on cutting waste and that their actions would not affect veteran benefits.
“I’m the Secretary of VA, and I’m telling you right now, that’s not happening … the reality is, Veterans benefits aren’t getting cut,” Collins said in a statement. “In fact, we are actually giving and improving services.”
The VA has fielded a slew of criticism for excessive wait times, substandard care and lackluster benefits. The backlog on claims has risen from under 100,000 claims before 2019 to over 250,000 in 2025, according to VA data.
Additionally, the VA denies nearly 30% of claims made without attorney aid, and nearly 15% made with one, according to a 2020 VA report.
The VA did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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