The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is set to cut around 80,000 jobs as part of President Donald Trump’s administration’s efforts to reduce the number of federal employees, according to a memo obtained by AFP on Wednesday.
The VA, in collaboration with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), aims to “identify and eliminate waste, reduce management and bureaucracy, reduce footprint, and increase workforce efficiency,” the memo states.
“Part of the savings garnered will be reinvested in the veterans we serve and the systems required to support our workforce and execute our mission,” the memo further explains.
The plan’s objective is to reduce staffing at the VA, which provides benefits like healthcare, education, and disability pay to veterans, to 2019 levels of 399,957 employees.
Currently, the VA employs over 479,000 people, meaning approximately 80,000 positions will be cut.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has launched an aggressive campaign to slash public spending and reduce the federal bureaucracy, a key promise from his campaign.
To help achieve these goals, he enlisted Musk, his top campaign donor, to lead DOGE, which has already resulted in thousands of job cuts and a restructuring of various government agencies.
One of Musk’s initial moves was to target federal employees involved in diversity policies.
The administration has also dismantled the US Agency for International Development (USAID), halting many global humanitarian and development efforts.
Additionally, sources informed AFP that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), responsible for tax collection, may consider reducing its workforce by up to half of its 90,000 employees.
