Virginia reacts to VA federal job cuts

(The Center Square) – Planned cuts to more than 80,000 Department of Veterans Affairs employees under the Trump administration have raised concerns in Virginia, which has one of the largest veteran populations and a significant federal workforce.Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins acknowledged the difficulty of the decision but emphasized the government’s role in serving people rather than providing employment.He assured that the department would continue to hire for more than 300,000 mission-critical positions to ensure that the health care and benefits of VA beneficiaries are not impacted.In an email to The Center Square, Chuck Zingler, commissioner of Virginia’s Department of Veterans Services, said the agency has been in close contact with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and was assured that critical services, including health care, benefits and veteran call centers, would not be impacted by job cuts.”Virginia’s Department of Veterans Services continues to work 24/7 across the Commonwealth of Virginia to serve our nearly 700,000 veterans and their families and ensure that we offer unmatched services and programs for all,” Zingler said.In response to the anticipated job cuts, Gov. Glenn Youngkin unveiled aresource package’ to assist those affected federal employees in Virginia. The initiative included a new state website, “Virginia Has Jobs,” highlighting employers throughout the commonwealth with approximately 250,000 jobs.According to the Commonwealth Institute, “About 340,000 Virginia residents work in civilian federal jobs, the third highest of any state. That’s 1 in every 13 civilian workers, the second highest ratio of any state.”Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., has strongly opposed the VA workforce cuts, arguing they will roll back the progress of the PACT Act and harm veterans who rely on VA services. Warner states, “Our nation’s veterans have served our country valiantly, and we owe it to them to take care of them when they come home.”Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., whose 8th Congressional District includes 72,651 federal civilian employees and 13,826 armed forces personnel, makes it one of the most federally employed districts in the commonwealth. Beyer warned that the cuts will disproportionately impact Northern Virginia.Disabled Air Force veteran Nathan Hooven, who voted for President Trump, took to X and expressed feeling blindsided by the layoff, even more so because of positive performance reviews.”I think a lot of other veterans voted the same way, and we have been betrayed,” said Hooven, who was fired in February from a Virginia medical facility for veterans. “I feel like my life and the lives of so many like me, so many that have sacrificed so much for this country, are being destroyed.”As the VA moves forward with workforce reductions, questions remain about how the cuts will impact services for veterans and federal employees in Virginia.