Duckworth and Fellow Veterans’ Affairs Committee Democrats Demand Immediate Answers on VA Secretary Collins’ Disastrous Plan to Cut 83,000 VA Jobs

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC)—joined SVAC Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), all other SVAC Democrats and House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Mark Takano (D-CA-39) in demanding immediate answers from Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins regarding the disastrous impact of the Trump Administration’s plans to cut more than 80,000 VA employees this year—including at least 20,000 Veterans. The lawmakers’ bicameral letter comes after an internal memoleakedearlier this week detailed a plan to slash VA’s workforce to fiscal year 2019 levels.
The lawmakers expressed their extreme concern with the impact this massive reduction in force plan will have on Veterans—despite Collins’ unsupported claims that scaling back VA’s workforce by at least 15% will have no impact on VA care or benefits:“This planned [Reduction in Force] and [Reorganization Plan], coupled with the ongoing hiring freeze and illegal terminations of probationary employees, will be catastrophic for the agency; its workforce; and for the veterans, caregivers, and survivors it serves…You have promised on several occasions that any reductions in the VA workforce will not impact delivery of care and benefits to veterans. It defies logic and reason that the agency could cut an additional  83,000 employees, beyond the 2,400 or more you have already terminated, without healthcare and benefits being interrupted.”
The lawmakers emphasized the harm in reducing VA’s workforce back to pre-PACT Act levels:“Congress passed the Honoring Our PACT Act in 2022, which authorized the largest expansion of veterans’ benefits in decades. Millions of veterans either became newly eligible for VA benefits or saw their benefits increase due to authorities in the PACT Act. To meet the growth in demand and to deliver the care and benefits veterans earned, Congress included provisions in the legislation that allowed VA to grow its workforce across the system…These new hires made the Department more efficient and productive, and the reduction in claims processing turnaround can be directly attributed to the growth in the workforce. Returning to pre-PACT levels explicitly goes against Congressional intent.”
The lawmakers concluded their letter by demanding immediate answers to a series of questions and requests for documentation, including:
Along with Duckworth, the letter was co-signed in the Senate by SVAC Ranking Member Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Angus King (I-ME), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI).
In the House, the letter is also co-signed by House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Mark Takano (D-CA) and numerous House Democratic Committee members.
The full text of the letter isavailable on the Committee Democrats’ websiteand below.
Dear Secretary Collins:
We write to express our extreme concern regarding reports that through Agency Reductions in Force (RIF) and Reorganization Plan (ARRP), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) plans to cut its staff by an estimated 83,000 employees by the end of this fiscal year. VA Chief of Staff Christopher Syrek stated in a March 4, 2025, memorandum to key VA officials that the “initial objective” at the agency will be to reduce the VA workforce to end of fiscal year 2019 levels. This planned RIF and ARRP, coupled with the ongoing hiring freeze and illegal terminations of probationary employees, will be catastrophic for the agency; its workforce; and for the veterans, caregivers, and survivors it serves.
Congress passed the Honoring Our PACT Act in 2022, which authorized the largest expansion of veterans’ benefits in decades. Millions of veterans either became newly eligible for VA benefits or saw their benefits increase due to authorities in the PACT Act. To meet the growth in demand and to deliver the care and benefits veterans earned, Congress included provisions in the legislation that allowed VA to grow its workforce across the system. Those new hires were not limited to clinicians who provide direct care. Claims processors, benefits counselors, IT professionals, and essential support staff were also onboarded to ensure veterans could access their earned disability compensation and programs like the G.I. Bill and Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E). These new hires made the Department more efficient and productive, and the reduction in claims processing turnaround can be directly attributed to the growth in the workforce. Returning to pre-PACT levels explicitly goes against Congressional intent.
You have promised on several occasions that any reductions in the VA workforce will not impact delivery of care and benefits to veterans. It defies logic and reason that the agency could cut an additional 83,000 employees, beyond the 2,400 or more you have already terminated, without healthcare and benefits being interrupted. To that end and due to the urgency of this matter, we request answers to the following questions byMarch 14, 2025. We also request our staff be briefed on these RIF and ARRP plans byMarch 12, 2025.
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