On Thursday, Feb. 13, the United States government announced the firing of over 1,000 Department of Veterans Affairs employees across the country.
The firings are a part of a government-wide Trump administration effort to cut costs and limit spending within federal agencies.
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The firings are effective immediately and have been communicated directly to each employee, according to a Thursday VA press release.
Those fired include non-bargaining unit probationary employees who have served less than a year in a competitive service appointment or who have served less than two years in an excepted service appointment, according to the release.
According to the VA, of its 371,000 employees, 43,000 are probationary, the vast majority of which are exempt from being fired because they serve in “mission-critical positions” or are covered under a collective bargaining agreement.
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“At VA, we are focused on saving money so it can be better spent on Veteran care,” Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins said in the release. “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.”
“To be perfectly clear: these moves will not negatively impact VA health care, benefits or beneficiaries,” Collins said. “In the coming weeks and months, VA will be announcing plans to put these resources to work helping Veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors.”
House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mike Bost, a Republican from Murphysboro who represents Illinois’ 12th District, released a statement on Friday saying that he trusts the actions taken by Collins and Trump.
“I trust that my friend Secretary Collins is doing the right thing for veterans and taxpayers to effectively right size and reorganize the agency to work better for the men and women it serves,” Bost said. “As Chairman, that is my number one priority. I take Secretary Collins at his word when he says there will be no impact to the delivery of care, benefits, and services for veterans with this plan. I am looking forward to working with the Trump administration to continue to make necessary improvements and efficiencies at VA to put veterans at the center of everything VA does.”
It is currently unclear whether or not Bost’s southern Illinois constituents are being affected by the firings.
The region has VA clinics in both Carbondale and Marion, and the Daily Egyptian was unable to receive local comment Friday about potential local impact of the federally issued firings.
The firings, however, did not go without criticism from other members of congress.
In a social media statement on Friday morning, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat from Florida, called the firings “indiscriminate” and an “assault on veterans.”
“The VA Secretary’s indiscriminate firing of 1,000 public servants, including veterans, at a time where VA hospitals and clinics are already short staffed, is a direct assault on veterans and their families,” Schultz said. “In fact, the VA just notified our committee of a $6 billion shortfall – all of it needed to staff the growing need for health care.
“Firing 1,000 VA staff will clearly do nothing to better help serve our veterans, instead instilling chaos and uncertainty in a system that is already short staffed and complicated to navigate.
“Massive layoffs of VA employees – including nurses, doctors, and positions already facing critical shortages nationwide – is nothing more than an attempt to balance the budget on the back of veterans,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut said. “It is reprehensible to target recently hired federal employees – particularly those who have chosen to serve veterans.”
The DE expects to receive more information about the local impact of these firings early next week and will update this story as that information is obtained.
Editors Note: This story has been updated from the previous version to make corrections.
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