President Donald Trump’s administration aims to cut some 80,000 jobs from the federal department overseeing veterans’ health care and other benefits, according to a memo obtained Wednesday by AFP.
The move to downsize the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) brings Trump’s unprecedented cost-cutting efforts, led by billionaire adviser Elon Musk, into another sensitive area, with Democrats quick to pounce on the issue.
The VA, in concert with Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), will “identify and eliminate waste, reduce management and bureaucracy, reduce footprint, and increase workforce efficiency,” the memo says.
“A portion of the savings garnered will be reinvested in the veterans we serve and the systems required to support our workforce and execute our mission,” it says.
