CINCINNATI — City leaders joined U.S. veterans outside the Cincinnati VA Medical Center Friday to protest thousands of recent VA layoffs and attempts by DOGE to cancel department contracts that would impact some veterans' benefits.
Layoffs: The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced it would be laying off 1,400 federal employees this week in "non-mission critical" roles, including some U.S. veterans. It comes two weeks after it announced an additional 1,000 layoffs on Feb. 13.
Some of those terminated employees were asked to return days later, workers told ABC News.
"In the meantime, VA continues to hire for more than 300,000 mission-critical positions that are exempt from the federal hiring freeze," a Feb. 24 release stated. "VA positions considered non-mission critical include DEI-related positions, among other roles."
Hear the pleas from VA workers and supporters for bolstered support of veteran programs and employees amid layoffs:
"You don't see billionaires, you don't see millionaires, you see Cincinnati residents," Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, a Democrat, said looking out onto a crowd of protesters. "They may be attacking diversity, equity and inclusion, but they cannot attack all of us and all of our beautiful diversity."
It's unclear if any of the 2,400 VA layoffs so far will impact positions in Cincinnati.
"That means a lot for somebody to thank you for your service in this country," said Rev. Peterson Mingo, a U.S. veteran. "What (the federal government) is showing them, is that it's not thank you — no thank you for your service."
Attempt at contract cancellations: The layoffs come amid efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut "non-mission critical" VA contracts this week, which the VA had seemingly reversed, if only partially, days later.
"We will not be eliminating any benefits or services to veterans or VA beneficiaries, and there will be no negative impact to VA health care, benefits or beneficiaries," a VA spokesperson told ABC News on Tuesday. "We are always going to take care of veterans at VA. Period."
According to the Associated Press, those cuts would have included VA contracts for cancer care, PTSD outreach and homeless veteran programs, among other things.
"We're reviewing VA's various contracts, and we will be canceling many focusing on non-mission critical things," the VA spokesperson said. "Our review is ongoing and not final."
Among AP's analysis of the previously canceled VA contracts were the following:
- Contract to assess veterans’ disability ratings — one of the most important steps needed for a veteran to qualify to have their medical care covered
- Contract intended to identify and integrate data between the Pentagon, VA and other agencies to support the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022, a bill passed in 2022 to increase veterans’ access to care.
- Contract that would directly affect the ability to assess toxic exposure because it supports more than 24,000 research requests to look through the National Archives and Records Administration and other government sources to validate service and toxic exposure events.
In all, the effort would have impacted 875 affected VA contracts. You can see the entire list here.
Per AP, in an internal VA email sent Tuesday, a VA contracting official said DOGE targeted contracts broadly categorized as “consulting” but they included ones that if terminated would halt chemotherapy and imaging services.
"Veterans, we are going to fight with you. We want you to join our fight. We are not going to go down slowly," said Steven Campisi, a member of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 2031.
You can read the full statement from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on Feb. 24 layoffs here:
"The Department of Veterans Affairs today announced the dismissal of more than 1,400 employees in non-mission critical positions.
In the meantime, VA continues to hire for more than 300,000 mission-critical positions that are exempt from the federal hiring freeze.
VA positions considered mission critical include Veterans Crisis Line responders, among other roles. VA positions considered non-mission critical include DEI-related positions, among other roles.
Those dismissed today are 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.
The personnel moves will save the department more than $83 million per year, and VA will redirect all of those resources back toward health care, benefits and services for VA beneficiaries.
There are currently nearly 40,000 probationary employees across the department, the vast majority of whom were exempt from today’s personnel actions because they serve in mission-critical positions – primarily those supporting benefits and services for VA beneficiaries. VA employees who elected to participate in the Office of Personnel Management’s deferred resignation program are also exempt from today’s personnel actions.
As an additional safeguard to ensure VA benefits and services are not impacted, the first Senior Executive Service (SES) or SES-equivalent leader in a dismissed employee’s chain of command can request that the employee be exempted from removal.
Today’s actions follow other dismissals VA announced Feb. 13 and are part of a government-wide Trump Administration effort to make agencies more efficient, effective and responsive to the American people. To that end, VA is refocusing on its core mission: providing the best possible care and benefits to Veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors.
“These and other recent personnel decisions are extraordinarily difficult, but VA is focused on allocating its resources to help as many Veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors as possible,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “These moves will not hurt VA health care, benefits or beneficiaries. In fact, Veterans are going to notice a change for the better. In the coming weeks and months, VA will be announcing plans to put these resources to work helping the department fulfill its core mission: providing the best possible care and benefits to Veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors.”
Watch Live:
