Minnesota senators blast Trump administration's plan to lay off VA employees
Minnesota Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith were back in the Twin Cities metro on Tuesday to express their solidarity with veterans who lost their jobs at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
At least 2,400 VA employees were fired last month as part of the Trump administration's sweeping cuts to the size and scope of the federal government. At least a dozen of those people were from the hospital at Fort Snelling.
"It is our sacred obligation to honor these vets not just when they pass away but when they're alive," Klobuchar, who was also joined by Democratic Rep. Angie Craig, said at a news conference. "Not just when they're serving in battle, when we get them the equipment they need, but also when they come home to our country."
John Helcl, a U.S. Army veteran, was among the cuts at the Minneapolis VA Hospital.
"From an employer relations standpoint, reducing people that were on probation is an easy step," he said. "But then you are removing people that have amazing talent and wanted to work those jobs. It's better to look at everything top to bottom."
VA on "high risk" list since 2015
Despite the concerns about its employees, the VA has long been regarded by federal officials as a ripe opportunity for reform.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office has both "Managing Risks and Improving VA Health Care" and "VA Acquisition Management" on its high risk list, which consists of "programs and operations with serious vulnerabilities to waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement, or in need of transformation."
In addition to probationary employees, the Trump administration has discussed plans to potentially fire up to 80,000 more VA employees as part of the president's initiative to scale back the size of the federal government, according to a memo from the agency's chief of staff.
A memo to top Veterans Affairs officials and obtained by CBS News describes the agency's plans for a reduction-in-force, which is expected to take place in August. The department's goal is to return its workforce to 2019 levels of just under 400,000 employees.
Led by Secretary Doug Collins, a former congressman and Iraq War veteran, the VA employed more than 471,000 people as of December, according to the agency's workforce dashboard, 27% of whom are veterans.
"We've put out a target number and set up a structure for beginning the planning process of reforming the department, but we haven't made any of those personnel changes yet," VA Press Secretary Pete Kasperowicz said. "We're going to run through a deliberative process and find ways to improve care and benefits for Veterans without cutting care and benefits for Veterans. We're not talking about reducing medical staff or claims processors, we're talking about reducing bureaucracy and inefficiencies that are getting in the way of customer convenience and service to veterans. All VA mission-critical positions are exempt from cuts, and hiring continues for more than 300,000 essential positions."
A federal judge in Maryland issued a ruling on Thursday in response to a lawsuit filed by 19 states and the District of Columbia challenging the mass firings of probationary government workers. The judge ordered thousands of fired probationary workers to be reinstated.
