Trump Administration Plan to Cut 80,000 VA Jobs Knocked as Rush – Not Reform

A plan to axe 80,000 jobs at the Department of Veterans Affairs – nearly one-fifth of its workforce – has sparked backlash from lawmakers and veterans groups, who warn that those who served their country may ultimately pay the price for a rushed attempt to reform the agency.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins said last week the massive layoffs amounting to more than 17% of current employees, many of whom are veterans, were needed for efficiency. The layoffs are in addition to the 2,400 job eliminations at the department in recent weeks. VA Assistant Secretary Mark Engelbaum told lawmakers Tuesday that the cuts were an effort to reform the agency. He said that, though thousands of employees were hired in the last four years, the VA has increased its inventory backlog, increased processing time for claims and decreased accuracy.

When pressed for details by lawmakers, Engelbaum said it will take VA leadership four months to conduct an analysis and determine where cuts will be made. Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut criticized the VA’s decision to announce the 80,000 cuts before conducting an analysis.

“You're just willy-nilly firing people without a plan. Your approach seems to be: Fire them now, plan later,” Blumenthal said during a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing Tuesday.

The layoff announcement, without clear details on how the department plans to continue providing services, has raised serious concerns among veterans and veterans groups about the immediate and long-term impact of cuts.