
At Veterans Affairs, Plan for Sweeping Cuts Tanks Morale
Tom Brenner/For The Washington Post
A staff member speaks to Veterans Affairs Secretary Douglas A. Collins before Collins testifies May 6 at a Senate hearing.
Morale is plummeting inside the Department of Veterans Affairs as tens of thousands of employees prepare for deep staffing cuts, raising alarms among staffers, veterans and advocates who fear the reductions would severely damage care and benefits for millions of the nation's former service members.
VA Secretary Douglas A. Collins has signaled plans to shrink the agency's workforce by 15 percent – or about 83,000 employees. Although agency officials insist front-line health-care workers and claims processors will be spared, the vague and shifting details of the Trump administration's downsizing plan have only fueled anxiety and speculation within VA's massive workforce.
The uncertainty is already taking a toll.
Thousands of employees across VA's health and benefits systems have opted for early retirement in two waves, which would pay them through Sept. 30 to get them to leave, according to internal data reviewed by The Washington Post. Many of these employees said they are opting to leave out of fear that they would be laid off anyway.
Many Democrats have already seized on President Donald Trump's VA cuts as damaging to veterans, and some Republicans worry about the political risks of firings and other reductions at the agency.
'The veterans now check in and ask us how we are doing,' one social worker at a hospital in the Great Lakes region told The Post. 'They see the news and are very aware of the circumstances and fearful of losing VA support that they depend on.'
A contractor at the VA medical center in Palo Alto, California, described employees as 'fearful, paranoid, demoralized.'
'There's some cracks starting to show,' said an ICU doctor at a Florida facility.
This account of turmoil within Veterans Affairs is based on interviews with more than two dozen current and former employees, most of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal deliberations. The Post also reviewed more than two dozen pages of internal agency records and communications.
In response to questions from The Post, VA spokesman Peter Kasperowicz pointed to problems in the agency that have existed for years.
'During the Biden Administration, VA failed to address nearly all of its most serious problems, such as benefits backlogs, rising health-care wait times and major issues with survivor benefits,' Kasperowicz said in a statement. 'The far-left Washington Post refused to cover these failures because it would have made the Biden Administration look bad.'
Specifically responding to the concerns employees shared about morale, Kasperowicz said The Post is to blame.
'The people you spoke with are probably being misled by The Washington Post's dishonest, far-left fearmongering,' he said.
With almost 500,000 employees, VA is the second-largest federal agency behind the Department of Defense and is in charge of providing health care to more than 9 million veterans through 170 VA medical centers and 1,193 outpatient clinics. In recent years, VA's budget and workforce have grown significantly – in part to accommodate the PACT Act, which caused disability claims and enrollment in the health-care system to surge.
Many people involved in planning the reductions have been required to sign nondisclosure agreements, leaving details about the looming cutbacks unclear. Some familiar with the plans said initial cuts will target the agency's central office, steps from the White House, where 19,000 people work administering the Veterans Health Administration, the Veterans Benefits Administration and the National Cemetery System.
But that would still leave tens of thousands of jobs at hospitals and clinics under threat of future cuts. Collins – under pressure from his workforce, Congress and veterans groups – has attempted to quell concerns by saying that he's seeking alternative cost-cutting measures in addition to layoffs and might not need to reach the initial proposal of 15 percent.
VA leaders have initially homed in on combining what they consider duplicative offices to cut jobs, according to the people familiar with the plans.
For instance, they are considering merging suicide prevention and homelessness programs with a mental health office to reduce the number of full-time employees supporting separate programs, according to an internal document obtained by The Post that shows preliminary proposals. Another proposal would combine a program for LGBTQ+ veterans with the Office of Health Equity, which identifies health-care disparities, and the Office of Whole Health, which organizes wellness programs.
Kasperowicz said 'no decisions have been made with respect to staff reductions.'
On Friday, a federal judge extended a pause on mass layoffs in 22 federal agencies, including VA, in a lawsuit against the administration's cuts filed by a federal workers' union. The pause could be short-lived, however, as the Trump administration has appealed to the Supreme Court.
Collins, a former Georgia congressman and an Iraq War veteran, has argued that VA has grown too bloated and must be streamlined. But veterans' groups and bipartisan lawmakers warn that rapid downsizing, particularly without a clear strategy, could harm veterans who depend on the agency for medical care, mental health support and disability benefits.
Veterans' groups have also warned that staff cuts would disproportionately affect veterans, who make up about a quarter of VA's workforce. Several groups, including a union organization, are organizing a rally on the National Mall on June 6 – the 81st anniversary of D-Day – in hopes of drawing thousands of protesters against the anticipated cuts.
'Iraq felt safer than being a VA employee currently does,' a veteran and VA communications worker privately told Hill staffers in a written submission shared with The Post. 'My leadership in Iraq cared about me as a human and didn't just see me as a number.'
Some Republicans expressed apprehension about the cutback numbers Collins shared when he testified in recent weeks before the Senate and House committees overseeing his agency.
'There's understandable concern among veterans and VA staff,' Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) said at a May 6 hearing with Collins. 'We need to be strategic, not simply hit a number.'
Lawmakers pressed Collins on the cuts, but he said he would not share preliminary details publicly. He suggested to senators what the agency could do without, such as the small number of staff who design medical spaces, and that he aimed to reassign doctors and nurses who do administrative work rather than care for patients.
One psychiatrist told The Post that a significant portion of their time is spent coordinating care, reviewing safety issues and advising other clinicians – work that often goes unnoticed but is crucial to quality treatment.
'Doctor administration work is important and not replaceable by AI,' the provider said in response to concerns that this administration has encouraged the use of artificial intelligence to replace work done by humans.
During the House hearing on May 15, Collins and Rep. Mark Takano (D-California) sparred after the Democrat displayed an internal spreadsheet with calculated savings from a 15 percent reduction in every VA job classification, such as a proposal to eliminate 4,000 nurses estimated to save $1 billion.
'This is a leaked predecisional document that is not helpful,' Collins said, disavowing the document. 'I have made clear, we will not be cutting front-line health care.'
The pressure on VA comes at a pivotal moment, as the department continues to implement the PACT Act, landmark legislation expanding benefits for veterans exposed to toxins such as burn pits. That law triggered a surge in disability claims – but also prompted the agency to hit new milestones in claims processing speed.
As Collins moves ahead with his reorganization, staff shortages, growing workloads and a demanding return-to-office policy are already straining the system.
Employees hired before the pandemic with telework agreements had not expected to return to the office because their work agreements came before the public health crisis. Several have since decided to leave their jobs because they said their relocations would be untenable.
At a program that helps find housing and jobs for veterans in need in Palo Alto, one staffer has decided to leave because of the return-to-office policy, while another contractor is being eliminated as part of sweeping contract cuts across the agency, one employee said.
'I keep hearing like, 'Oh, the cuts won't affect patient care,' but it absolutely will,' the employee said. 'You can't function without support staff.'
At multiple facilities, employees say tight quarters caused by the department's return-to-office policy have made it harder to provide confidential care. Mental health specialists report that they now overhear colleagues' therapy sessions with veterans, and one office has plans to purchase noise-canceling headphones to restore some privacy.
An internal VA presentation from March projected a deficit of 57,000 workstations across the Veterans Health Administration, leaving little room for providers or patients in some locations. At one hospital, a suicide prevention specialist said they had to take phone calls outside because of overloaded WiFi.
Despite these accounts, Collins has dismissed reports of overcrowded conditions and denied that employees were working out of closets – a claim that is contradicted by a photo shared with The Post of a makeshift desk set up inside a storage closet. 'We're sardines packed in a can,' the employee who took the photo said.
Another employee shared a photo of multiple workstations set up inside a hospital room.
Kasperowicz said the return-to-office policy has been rolled out with the limitations of workspaces in mind, adding that more than 60,000 VHA employees have returned to the office starting May 5, while 45,000 have not because of exemptions or extensions. He declined to respond to specific claims without locations or other identifying details, which The Post agreed to keep confidential.
'While most of VA's dedicated employees understand the importance of being on-site, a small but vocal minority are telling tall tales in a desperate attempt to avoid returning to the office at all costs,' he said.
The overcrowding has led to a lack of parking at some facilities. At one hospital, employees were told in an email Friday that veterans have missed or been tardy for medical appointments because staff members had parked in the veterans-only parking lots.
'Despite these challenges, staff are expected to report to work on time and leave veterans parking for those who are receiving care and services,' the hospital director told employees.
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Yomiuri Shimbun
32 minutes ago
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Yomiuri Shimbun
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ABC News Suspends Journalist Terry Moran after Post Criticizing Stephen Miller
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Yomiuri Shimbun
44 minutes ago
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A Diminished DOGE Reels from the Departure of the ‘Dogefather,' Elon Musk
Tom Brenner/For The Washington Post Elon Musk in the Oval Office with President Donald Trump on May 30, his last official day in government. He and Trump feuded bitterly this week, and now the future of the U.S. DOGE Service is unclear. Cabinet officials and senior staffers across the Trump administration are reclaiming power from Elon Musk's U.S. DOGE Service, a trend that began long before the billionaire's relationship with President Donald Trump exploded in public acrimony days after Musk formally left his White House post. As Musk departed, some of his top lieutenants were streaming out of government. Among those heading for the exits even before Musk and Trump began feuding, according to a White House official speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information: longtime aide Steve Davis, who was overseeing cost-cutting efforts; lawyer James Burnham, DOGE's general counsel; and DOGE adviser Katie Miller, who is married to White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. Katie Miller is now working for Musk. Meanwhile, Cabinet officials – some of whom had clashed with Musk – are moving to rehire workers who had been pushed out by DOGE. And while the group retains some clout, with DOGE staffers moving into permanent jobs in some agencies, unaffiliated political appointees in other departments have been forcing the cost-cutting group to back off. Despite the exodus, White House officials said the administration remains dedicated to rooting out waste and abuse. The administration has asked Congress to cancel more than $9 billion in spending for global health aid and for public broadcasting in the United States, an early gauge of lawmakers' appetite for codifying DOGE's cuts. And the White House budget office has proposed cutting $163 billion – nearly 25 percent – from agency budgets in the fiscal year that begins in October. 'DOGE is in the DNA of the federal government, and the president is committed to seeing this mission through,' said White House spokesman Harrison Fields. 'No one is under the impression that DOGE is somehow going to disappear.' White House budget director Russell Vought is expected to pick up where Musk left off in cutting federal spending, according to two people with knowledge of the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. An architect of Project 2025, a policy blueprint put together between Trump's terms, Vought told a House hearing Wednesday that the Trump administration is eager to send more requests to eliminate previously appropriated funds as DOGE shifts from a consulting role to a position 'far more institutionalized' at OMB. Still, by DOGE's somewhat haphazard accounting, the initiative has saved only about $180 billion, a fraction of the $2 trillion Musk initially vowed to cut. That performance – along with a general recognition that DOGE created unnecessarily high levels of chaos – has left remaining members of the cost-cutting group facing growing skepticism among agency officials who, after Musk's blowup with Trump on Thursday, no longer need to fear retaliation from the world's richest person. 'DOGE was able to work its will because there was the perception that Musk was so close to the president that these orders were coming from the president,' said Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, who ran a 'reinventing government' initiative during the Clinton administration. 'Now you've got a different situation.' At the Federal Aviation Administration, for example, the DOGE team suffered a setback this week when leadership nixed their access to FAA buildings, a command center in Warrenton, Virginia, and the Air Traffic Academy in Oklahoma City, according to an employee briefed on the matter and records obtained by The Washington Post. Four DOGE staffers were also stripped of their credentials and user accounts inside the FAA's internal computer systems, the records show. As of June 2, the staffers – Brady Glantz, Samuel Smeal, Tom Kiernan and Theodore Malaska, all of whom are employees of Musk's SpaceX – no longer bear the title of 'senior adviser to the administrator' on their online profiles within the agency, per the records. In fact, their profiles no longer show any job title at all – nor an affiliated organization, manager, email or phone number, the records show. In a briefing Monday, managers explained their removal by noting the team owed its creation and power to an executive order, not an act of Congress – and that Musk was stepping down after his term as a 'special government employee' ended, according to an employee who attended, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. 'So they're being pushed out,' the employee said. DOGE still maintains a strong presence at the agencies that oversee federal spending, real estate and logistics. Its initial areas of focus included the Treasury Department, the Office of Personnel Management and the General Services Administration, where key allies are still guiding technology modernization efforts. At some other agencies, DOGE representatives have amassed powerful jobs and portfolios. In April, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued an order granting sweeping new powers to DOGE staffer Tyler Hassen, a former oil executive, The Post reported. Under Burgum's order, Hassen is now leading a campaign to 'create significant efficiencies' and eliminate 'redundant efforts' across Interior, including in IT, human resources, financial management and international affairs. About a week later, the Energy Department named a DOGE team member, Carl Coe, as chief of staff, a top job that helps decide who has access to the energy secretary, according to an email obtained by The Post. His appointment will help 'tackle the challenge of strengthening and securing the U.S. energy stem and ensuring America can lead the global race for AI leadership,' the email noted. 'The chief of staff is, behind the scenes, the duck paddling under the water making things happen,' said one Energy employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. 'DOGE could control the direction of the agency now.' Elsewhere, DOGE associates brought on for their reputation as business leaders have exerted command over agency staff, overseeing new initiatives within government. Sam Corcos, a start-up founder, has been overseeing DOGE's work at the IRS, which is increasingly looking to off-load otherwise-monotonous agency work to artificial intelligence programs, according to a person familiar with the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information. And Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia has been overseeing DOGE's attempts to modernize the federal government's paper-based retirement system, which is run through the Office of Personnel Management. Gebbia was seen by Musk allies as potentially taking over some of the broader DOGE portfolio when Musk left. But now his fate is unclear, according to a person familiar with ongoing discussions over DOGE's role after Musk's departure. Resistance to DOGE in other agencies predated Musk's blowup with Trump. In early May, staffers who said they were with DOGE roamed around secure facilities within Navy Air Station Patuxent River, a Defense Department installation in Maryland where test flights and other sensitive work are carried out. One DOGE staffer reportedly walked in behind another government worker to gain access to the building, a Defense employee said – prompting a warning from installation security officials. 'At this time, [Navy Air Systems Command] Security is considering this an unauthorized access attempt,' a security official wrote in email obtained by The Washington Post. The email instructed staffers to report people representing themselves as DOGE staffers to security officials or base police, to refuse to allow anyone to follow them into buildings, and to be on alert for suspicious behavior. In a statement, a Navy official denied that DOGE's entry into an air station was treated as a security breach. 'DOGE representatives met with NAVAIR personnel … The meeting was scheduled. We have no record of DOGE seeking unauthorized entry into NAVAIR facilities on NAS Patuxent River,' said Cmdr. Tim Hawkins, a Navy spokesman. 'Reports to the contrary are unsubstantiated.' In a move that could eventually infuse DOGE with more power, the Supreme Court on Friday ruled in two emergency decisions that the group could access sensitive Social Security data again, ending a legal restriction that had lasted for months. The court also ordered a judge to narrow a separate order requiring DOGE to submit discovery in a FOIA lawsuit. James Fishback, CEO of the investment firm Azoria who developed the idea of paying a portion of DOGE's savings directly to American taxpayers, predicted that the group is not dead yet. 'The truth is that Elon set expectations that he relayed to the President, me, and the country that he did not come close to fulfilling,' Fishback said. But 'DOGE's next chapter – under new leadership – will fully deliver on President Trump's mission of cutting waste, looking out for taxpayers, and making government leaner and more accountable.' Still, as the week wound down, some federal employees took a few moments to celebrate the diminishment of DOGE, however brief. One Interior employee said he and colleagues worked extra-hard, reveling in their government jobs as DOGE seemed to be on the way out. Then he went home and ate some ice cream. At the FAA, a group of staffers went out for post-work drinks to toast the banishment of DOGE staff. Then they offered a more solemn toast to the more than two dozen colleagues they'd lost along the way.