The Department of Veterans Affairs has cut nearly 28,000 employees — approximately 6% of its workforce — including over 14,000 medical positions: nurses, psychologists, social workers, and doctors. An estimated 1.2 million veteran patients have lost their VA healthcare provider.
This comes while over 90% of VA facilities already report severe doctor shortages. Mental health wait times for new patients now exceed 35 days, far above the 20-day threshold. ProPublica obtained internal emails showing the cuts are jeopardizing “life-saving cancer trials” — two trials for veterans with advanced head and neck cancer in Pittsburgh still haven't started due to hiring freezes.
Despite the devastation, the VA is developing plans with DOGE to cut at least 70,000 more employees. The number of veterans working in the federal government itself fell by nearly 10% due to DOGE cuts.
Senator Jacky Rosen called on the administration to reinstate the medical positions, noting the cuts directly harm veterans who served their country. The administration that wraps itself in the flag and claims to support the troops is gutting healthcare for the people who actually fought.