A person walks past the Department of Veterans Affairs headquarters, one block from the White House, on March 6, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images News | Getty Images
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs plans to cut up to 35,000 health care worker jobs this month, The Washington Post reported Saturday, citing an internal memo, VA officials and a congressional aide.
Reuters could not immediately confirm this report.
The report said the layoffs include mostly unfilled jobs such as doctors, nurses and support staff.
Citing a memo shared with regional leaders last month, the report added that the cuts are expected to reduce the number of health workers to 372,000, a 10% decrease from last year.
The Department of Veterans Affairs did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The Washington Post reported that a Department of Veterans Affairs spokesperson confirmed the cuts to unfilled positions.
The Washington Post quoted Pete Kasperowitz, a spokesman for the Department of Veterans Affairs, as saying that the health system is cutting about 26,400 open positions, most of which are “non-essential roles in the coronavirus era.”
“This action will have no impact on VA operations or the way we provide care to veterans, as we will simply eliminate vacant and unfilled unnecessary positions,” Kasperovich was quoted as saying.
The cuts come after the agency cut about 30,000 jobs in July, reducing the number of layoffs this fiscal year by two-thirds from the original goal.
