Veterans Affairs Department plans to cut thousands more jobs as part of Trump's cost-cutting efforts
CBSN
Washington — The Department of Veterans Affairs plans to slash thousands of employees in the coming months as part of President Trump's initiative to scale back the size of the federal government, according to a memo from the agency's chief of staff.
The memo, sent Tuesday 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, a cut of more than 70,000 workers.
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.
