DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, led by the richest person in the world, Elon Musk, is cutting US government jobs wherever possible. More recently, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, or VA, a government agency that runs programs benefiting veterans or their families, such as health care, education, pension, or career and employment, became the victim of Musk’s cuts.
The looming plans of DOGE face growing political concerns since its implementation in 2025, with Trump’s entry into power. Its ultimate goal, to reduce federal spending, is far beyond being an easy task. For the government worker, it’s a threat to their career. “Fear and chaos, that’s how this administration is running every agency,” said Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii
Christopher Syrec was appointed Chief of Staff for Veterans on January 20, 2025. Under Doge’s efficiency policy, he plans to cut enough employees to return to 2019 staffing levels under 400,000. That represents a dismissal of 80,000 employees. “There’s a war on veterans,” the upset Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va, added.
These people who fight for the US in Afghanistan or Iraq are completely dedicated to protecting the survival of their country. After a year at war, transitioning to civil life is not easy for every soldier. This is why the major source of employment for American heroes is the government, the same one that sent them to war. According to the Military Times, “about one-third of veterans are federal employees.”
A layoff notice in their inbox. That’s all America’s heroes receive after working for the VA or other government agencies. At that point, are Musk’s robots and US citizens treated the same way? By being given orders? That’s not how anybody should get fired, the vets, particularly with that much lack of care, respect, and dignity?
An office manager at a VA center in Wyoming, where the veteran suicide rate is 50% higher than the national average, was fired last month despite a glowing job review. “We lose too many,” said Justin Tripp, a Navy veteran now the Wyoming state commander for the VFW. That kind of dismissal is for sure not going to favor this dramatic suicide rate.
Jared Evans, a recreation therapist at the Salem VA, was fired in February, his eighth month as a probationary worker. He had moved to California with his family, his wife, his 3-year-old son, and his 1-year-old daughter for that job he had wanted for a long time. After many interviews with recently fired veterans, the same thought continues:” It’s a betrayal of my military service.”
Evans was also a Trump supporter before. According to PBS.ORG, six veterans out of ten voted for Trump, and many of them ended up fired, just like Evans. Some of them do agree with the objective of downsizing federal costs, but it’s not the proper way to do so, and it upends their lives with zero chance to prepare.
The signal scandal involved high-ranking officials in the U.S. government, including the White House communication staff and advisors responsible for national security. The editor of the Atlantic was mistakenly added to a Chat group where high-ranking officials discussed a strike on Yemen.
That type of mistake and mishandling of military-sensitive information should not be tolerated, and the people at fault, like Mike Waltz, should be fired. Instead, Trump decided to keep him in office unfairly. That felt like a slap in the face by veterans who lost their jobs due to efficiency goals. Their loyalty and services seem not to be respected when people at the top, who should give the example, do whatever they want without facing any consequences.
