President Donald Trump’s administration is set to eliminate approximately 80,000 jobs from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which oversees veterans’ health care and benefits, according to a memo obtained by AFP.
This downsizing effort aligns with Trump’s aggressive cost-cutting agenda, spearheaded by billionaire adviser Elon Musk. The VA, working with Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), aims to “identify and eliminate waste, reduce management and bureaucracy, reduce footprint, and increase workforce efficiency,” the memo states.
The plan seeks to return VA staffing to its 2019 level of 399,957 employees. As of early February, the VA employed over 479,000 people, meaning nearly 80,000 jobs are on the chopping block. The memo claims that some of the savings will be reinvested in veterans’ services and workforce support.
Democratic lawmakers swiftly condemned the move. Representative Mark Takano (D-CA) called the cuts “an outright betrayal of veterans,” warning they would delay benefits, strain claims processing, and disrupt student veteran support. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) slammed Trump and Musk, calling the plan “flat-out immoral” and a breach of the nation’s commitment to veterans.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has aggressively pursued federal downsizing, fulfilling a key campaign pledge. He appointed Musk—both a major campaign donor and close adviser—to lead DOGE, which has already slashed thousands of government jobs and reshaped federal agencies, triggering multiple lawsuits.
In addition to targeting the VA, Trump’s administration has moved to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and is reportedly considering cutting up to half of the Internal Revenue Service’s 90,000 employees.
