OAN Staff James Meyers
1:57 PM – Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Multiple reports suggest that the Trump administration is reportedly cutting 80,000 jobs from the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) in an “aggressive” reorganization, according to a memo obtained by the Associated Press on Wednesday.
Christopher Syrek, the VA Chief of Staff, reportedly told top officials in the department that the move is intended to return to 2019 staffing levels at 400,000 employees, according to the memo.
The latest move comes as the administration looks to cut excess spending and waste from the entire federal bureaucracy, with the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), “move out aggressively, while taking a pragmatic and disciplined approach” to the Trump administration’s goals.
“Let’s deal in facts: Facts are we are not cutting healthcare,” VA Secretary Doug Collins said on the Faulkner Focus on 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 memo reportedly instructs top-level staff to prepare for an agency-wide reorganization in August to “resize and tailor the workforce to the mission and revised structure.”
Meanwhile, the VA requested $369.3 billion for fiscal year 2025, which is 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.
Last month, Collins stated that the DOGE department was focused on cutting wasteful spending 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 taken massive criticism for excessive wait times for appointments, mediocre care and limited benefits. According to recent VA data, the backlog on claims rose from under 100,000 claims before 2019 to over 250,000 in 2025.
In a 2020 VA report, the VA denies almost 30% of claims made without attorney aid, and almost 15% made with one.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
