This is what you get when you put people in charge who want to run government like a business. But it's not a business, especially when it comes to a vital service like the VA. Via Washington Post:
The Department of Veterans Affairs plans to abruptly eliminate as many as 35,000 health care positions this month, mostly unfilled jobs including doctors, nurses and support staff, according to an internal memo, VA staffers and congressional aides.
The cuts come after a massive reorganization effort already resulted in the loss of almost 30,000 employees this year.
Agency leaders have instructed managers across the Veterans Health Administration, the agency’s health care arm, to identify thousands of openings that can be canceled. Employees warn that the contraction will add pressure to an already stretched system, contributing to longer wait times for care.
The decision comes after Veterans Affairs Secretary Douglas A. Collins, under political pressure from Congress, backed away from a plan to slash 15 percent of the agency’s workforce through mass firings. Instead, VA lost almost 30,000 employees this year from buyout offers and attrition.
Meanwhile, Trump is coming after veterans disability benefits.
