The Veterans Affairs Bureau announced Thursday the firing of more than 1,000 employees following a recent call from the Trump administration to reduce the size of the federal government.
The move will save the department more than $98 million a year and will spend those resources on veteran healthcare, benefits and services.
These efforts are part of a plan to refocus on its core mission, according to a statement from the VA.
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Metal plaques on the facade of the Veterans Affairs Department in Washington, DC (Robert Alexander/Getty Images)
“In Virginia, we are focusing on saving money so that we can spend better on caring for our veterans. These employees are grateful for the service to our VA. This was a tough decision. But ultimately, it's the right call to better support veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors are there for the department to serve,” said VA secretary Doug Collins. I did.
The VA says there are currently more than 43,000 probation employees across the department, but the majority of those employees are exempt from HR measures as they serve in mission-critical positions.
R-Ga. Former Representative Doug Collins, US President Donald Trump's veterans candidate, testified before a confirmation hearing by the Senate Veterans Committee on Capitol Hill, Washington, on January 21, 2025. (Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein)
Decisions regarding probation workers generally for less than a year at work came from the Human Resources Administration.
The exemptions either provide supportive benefits and services to VA beneficiaries or are also responsible for being subject to collective bargaining agreements.
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“To be completely clear: these moves will not adversely affect VA's healthcare, benefits or beneficiaries. In the coming weeks and months, the VA will be releasing these resources to veterans, their families , announces plans to support caregivers and survivors.”
The headquarters of the U.S. Veterans Affairs Bureau will be seen in Washington, DC on Wednesday, May 28, 2014. (The Washington Post via Matt McClain/The Washington Post)
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The termination will take effect immediately according to the VA and employees will be notified.
Additional measures have been put in place to ensure that VA services are not affected and assigned representatives of each command chain can request exemptions.
