#christopher syrek

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Trump cutting employees from Veterans Affairs: How many people impacted?

VA chief of staff Christopher Syrek informed top officials that the agency aims to reduce staffing levels to pre-2020 numbers.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is reportedly planning a major reorganization that includes cutting 80,000 jobs in an effort to reduce the agency's workforce.

WHY IT MATTERS

The cuts come after the VA fired 1,400 staff after its first round of layoffs terminated 1,000 employees on February 13, sparking anger from lawmakers.

The Trump administration's effort to cut jobs is part of a broader push to reshape the federal workforce under Elon Musk's cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). In its first month of operation, it has restructured multiple federal agencies and recommended mass layoffs, sparking backlash and concern from Trump critics, including some Republicans.

Musk has called for sweeping cuts to federal government spending, claiming it should be reduced by up to $2 trillion annually. Supporters say this will boost efficiency and help tackle the national debt, while critics argue it will reduce access to government services.

WHAT TO KNOW

VA chief of staff Christopher Syrek informed top officials that the agency aims to reduce staffing levels to pre-2020 numbers, bringing the workforce back to just under 400,000 employees, according to an internal memo obtained by the Associated Press.

This would require eliminating tens of thousands of positions added during the Biden administration, including those created to support veterans affected by burn pits under the 2022 PACT Act.

The memo directs senior staff to prepare for an agency-wide restructuring set for August, focusing on "resizing and tailoring the workforce to align with the mission and revised structure." It also instructs VA leadership to collaborate with DOGE to "move out aggressively, while taking a pragmatic and disciplined approach" to meeting the Trump administration's objectives.

The proposed cuts could significantly impact services for retired military members as more than 25% of the VA's workforce are veterans themselves, amplifying concerns among veterans' groups and advocates who fear the reductions could undercut critical health care and support services.

Senator Richard Blumenthal, the top Democrat on the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, criticized the proposed cuts, accusing the Trump administration of "launching an all-out assault" on the progress made in expanding veteran services.

Late last month, the VA fired 1,400 people after a first round of layoffs that terminated 1,000 employees on February 13, sparking anger from lawmakers. VA officials said these firings were from "non-mission critical positions," including potentially "DEI-related positions."

Officials estimated that the job cuts would save approximately $83 million annually, which would be redirected to other benefits and health care priorities.

On February 13, VA officials announced plans to lay off approximately 1,000 probationary employees from non-bargaining units, citing an expected savings of $98 million. This followed the department's January decision to dismiss around 60 employees involved in diversity and inclusion efforts—an area Trump has criticized as detrimental to the workforce.

Last month, nearly 2,500 employees were removed from Veterans Affairs, representing roughly 0.5% of the department's nearly 480,000-person workforce.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

Senator Richard Blumenthal said in a statement: "Their plan prioritizes private sector profits over veterans' care, balancing the budget on the backs of those who served. It's a shameful betrayal, and veterans will pay the price for their unforgivable corruption, incompetence, and immorality."

Michael Missal, the VA's inspector general for nine years until he was fired last month, told the AP that the VA is already suffering from a lack of "expertise" as top-level officials either leave or are shuffled around under the president's plans.

He added: "What's going to happen is VA's not going to perform as well for veterans, and veterans are going to get harmed."

VA Secretary Doug Collins, in a statement last month: "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."

He added, "These moves will not hurt VA health care, benefits or beneficiaries. In fact, Veterans are going to notice a change for the better. In the coming weeks and months, VA will be announcing plans to put these resources to work helping the department fulfill its core mission: providing the best possible care and benefits to Veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors."

Representative Marcy Kaptur, on X, formerly Twitter, last month: "Nearly 6,000 vets have lost their jobs under Trump and Musk's broad brush purge of public servants—up to 500,000 more could be next. These aren't just numbers—these are vets who served our country and now risk losing their livelihoods. Congress and the courts must defend those who defended us."

VA press secretary Pete Kasperowicz, in a statement last month: "We will not be eliminating any benefits or services to Veterans or VA beneficiaries, and there will be no negative impact to VA health care, benefits, or beneficiaries. We are always going to take care of Veterans at VA. Period."

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

The full scope and impact of the job cuts are expected to become clearer as the reorganization progresses.

In addition, the Trump administration's plan to slash costs is expected to result in the layoff of more federal employees.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Leaked memo reveals US veterans affairs officials vetting non-citizen workers

Exclusive: Compilation of data to be shared with ‘appropriate agencies’ prompts fears of immigration crackdown

José Olivares at The Guardian:

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is in the process of creating an urgent and massive new internal database of non-US citizens who are “employed or affiliated” with the government department, a sensitive memo leaked to the Guardian has revealed – prompting alarm within the sprawling agency over a potential immigration crackdown.

A VA spokesperson confirmed to the Guardian that the department would share some of the data it is now gathering with other federal agencies, including for immigration enforcement purposes. “VA will share any adverse findings with the appropriate agencies to ensure anyone who is not authorized to be in the US is dealt with accordingly,” the spokesperson said, when asked if the VA would share the data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The agency added: “No one who is not an illegal immigrant has anything to worry about.” However, likely thousands, including people legally in the US such as permanent residents with green cards and even military veterans themselves, now face being named in the forthcoming report about non-United States citizens, which seeks to further vet the VA workforce to varying degrees for “personnel suitability and national security standards”, according to the memo.

Top department officials, including the veterans affairs secretary, Doug Collins, are requiring VA offices across the country to turn over data on non-citizen “full-time and part-time employees, contractors, health professional trainees” and volunteers with the VA, according to the memo. Then the office of operations, security and preparedness, an internal office overseeing security over VA operations, will compile the report for the VA secretary. “By December 30, 2025, the office of operations, security, and preparedness must provide the secretary of veterans affairs a report of all non-United States citizens who are employed by or affiliated with VA,” the memo shown to the Guardian reads.

The memo was prepared by the VA chief of staff, Christopher Syrek, dated 15 November and sent to under-secretaries, assistant secretaries and “other key officials” in the department. When asked by email about the reason for the report on non-US citizens being compiled, Pete Kasperowicz, a VA spokesperson, said in a statement: “VA is required by federal law to continuously vet all employees and affiliates, such as unpaid researchers and others who may have access to VA data or systems, to ensure they meet the federal government’s trusted workforce standards.” He added: “The memo you reference is part of this process.” Kasperowicz also included a link to the government’s workforce standards website related to vetting. But the website does not say anything about immigration status during “continuous vetting” processes.

The leaked memo makes no mention of any similar database or report being compiled on US citizens working with the VA, only focusing on non-citizens. Some current and former department officials are dismayed, the Guardian has learned, fearing the VA workforce is about to be targeted by Donald Trump’s aggressive anti-immigration agenda. More than 450,000 people are employed at the VA, providing healthcare, education, rehabilitation and other services to veterans. The VA also works with thousands of contractors nationwide for day-to-day operations. It is the second biggest federal department after the Pentagon and provides healthcare, financial and many other services to millions of US military veterans.

The broad and vague nature of the memo implies the information dragnet may target a range of non-citizens, including doctors and nurses working in VA clinics, medical school students completing their clinical training at VA hospitals, scientists working in advancing medical research contracted by the department, volunteers working VA-related events, even contractors performing cleaning or maintenance jobs at facilities – and thousands more. “List-making by the state is an authoritarian tactic meant to stoke fear. At the direction of Secretary Collins, the VA is persecuting non-citizen employees who provide essential services and benefits to our veterans,” said Illinois Democratic congresswoman Delia Ramirez, ranking member of the oversight and investigations subcommittee on the House veterans affairs committee, in a statement to the Guardian.

She added: “The reported memo could have far-reaching implications. Attacking immigrants authorized to work is just another way [US president] Trump and the [VA] secretary seek to deconstruct, decimate and demoralize the VA workforce.” The memo does not say whether the data compiled would be shared with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the federal department that houses ICE and is carrying out the Trump administration’s “mass deportations” program. But the VA confirmed information would be shared with other agencies. This follows the Trump administration’s increasing push to collect and share data between other agencies and the DHS for immigration enforcement purposes.

The Guardian has an exclusive report on the Veterans Affairs (VA) creating a data privacy-violating urgent and massive new internal database of non-US citizens who are “employed or affiliated” with the government department.

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Trump administration plans to cut 80,000 employees from Veterans Affairs, according to internal memo

The Department of Veterans Affairs is planning an “aggressive” reorganization that includes cutting 80,000 jobs from the sprawling agency.

STEPHEN GROVES at AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Veterans Affairs is planning a reorganization that includes cutting over 80,000 jobs from the sprawling agency that provides health care and other services for millions of veterans, according to an internal memo obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press. The VA’s chief of staff, Christopher Syrek, told top-level officials at the agency Tuesday that it had an objective to cut enough employees to return to 2019 staffing levels of just under 400,000. That would require terminating tens of thousands of employees after the VA expanded during the Biden administration, as well as to cover veterans impacted by burn pits under the 2022 PACT Act. The memo 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.” It also calls for agency officials to work with the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency to “move out aggressively, while taking a pragmatic and disciplined approach” to the Trump administration’s goals. Government Executive first reported on the internal memo. “Things need to change,” Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins said in a video posted on social media Wednesday afternoon, adding that the layoffs would not mean cuts to veterans’ health care or benefits. “This administration is finally going to give the veterans what they want,” Collins said. “President Trump has a mandate for generational change in Washington and that’s exactly what we’re going to deliver at the VA.” Veterans have already been speaking out against the cuts at the VA that so far had included a few thousand employees and hundreds of contracts. More than 25% of the VA’s workforce is comprised of veterans. The plans underway at the VA showed how the Trump administration’s DOGE initiative, led by billionaire Elon Musk, is not holding back on an all-out effort to slash federal agencies, even for those that have traditionally enjoyed bipartisan support.

Up to 80,000 jobs will be cut from the VA, as part of the disastrous Trump/Musk agenda that seeks to cut down large parts of our government.

This move is more proof that 47 has no care for our veterans.