Department of Veterans Affairs Fires Over 1,000 Employees

VA Secretary Doug Collins in Washington in an undated file photograph. Samuel Corum/Getty Images

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has terminated more than 1,000 workers, the agency said on Feb. 13.

Some of the employees who were fired were probationary employees, or had been with the agency for less than two years. None of the terminated workers were in “mission-critical positions,” the agency said in a statement.

The VA expects the terminations to cut costs by more than $98 million per year.

“At VA, we are focused on saving money so it can be better spent on Veteran care. We thank these employees for their service to VA. This was a tough decision, but ultimately it’s the right call to better support the Veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors the department exists to serve,” VA Secretary Doug Collins said.

“To be perfectly clear: these moves will not negatively impact VA health care, benefits or beneficiaries. In the coming weeks and months, VA will be announcing plans to put these resources to work helping Veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors.”

The terminations were attributed to President Donald Trump’s focus on making the government more efficient.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), run by Elon Musk, has been reviewing various agencies in recent weeks as part of the effort.

The Trump administration also offered buyouts to government workers. About 75,000 workers accepted the buyouts before the program closed, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday.

Trump signed an executive order earlier in the week that said the administration would hire no more than one worker for every four employees that depart.

The order also said that each agency head shall work with DOGE to ensure that new hires are in high-need areas and that vacancies should not be filled if DOGE advises against it.

“Now, agency heads will coordinate and consult with DOGE to significantly shrink the size of the federal workforce and limit hiring to essential positions only,” Leavitt told reporters during a press conference on Wednesday.

VA employees who accepted the buyout offer, which keeps workers employed and paid through Sept. 30, were exempt from the new round of terminations, Collins said.

Among those fired at the VA were researchers who were “told to immediately stop their research and pack their bags,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), a former chairwoman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said in a statement.

She accused Trump and Musk of enacting “indiscriminate cuts and arbitrary mass firings” and said she’s demanding the VA provide her with details about the terminations.

“For years the VA has been grossly understaffed, which has only made it harder for our nation’s veterans to receive care. These reckless firings will only exacerbate this issue,” the American Federation of Government Employees said in a statement posted to social media platform X.

Musk and Trump have defended the moves.

“It’s not optional for us to reduce the federal expenses. It’s essential. It’s essential for America to remain solvent as a country, and it’s essential for America to have the resources necessary to provide things to its citizens and not simply be servicing vast amounts of debt,” Musk told reporters at the White House this week.

“What we’re trying to do is reduce government. We have too many people,” Trump added later.

The VA had about 472,000 employees as of early 2024, including part-time and seasonal employees. The VA still has more than 43,000 probationary employees, Collins said on Thursday.