The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has so far laid off more than 6,000 people. Bill Le Beau, head of the largest veterans' association in Massachusetts, the "Veterans of Foreign Wars", speaks of arbitrariness. "It seems like some people said, 'Let's cut 1,000 jobs in this department,' but no one bothers to look at what positions they're actually cutting," the Gulf War veteran told ARD.
High suicide rate among veterans
In the New England region of the US East Coast, the mass layoffs have mainly affected the so-called veterans' centers – these are health centers where veterans receive medication and medical care, including psychotherapy, Le Beau says. Half of the staff who serve these centers have been laid off - they are the ones who answer the phones and give out visiting hours when a veteran needs help.
“Our veterans need psychological help“, Le Le Bo also told the German public media. “And if there is no one to answer the phone or help them on the spot, these people are in great danger.“
Le Bo reminds us that the suicide rate among war veterans is one and a half times higher than among the rest of the population. According to official statistics, 17 people take their own lives every day. “Our organization fights every day to ensure that there are no suicides among veterans. "And the current situation is only making it worse," the 60-year-old told ARD.
"My grades have always been excellent"
But veterans are being hit hard by the layoffs. Adam Mulvey is one of the first to lose his job. The retired sergeant served his country for 20 years, deploying to Iraq three times and Afghanistan once. He most recently worked as a disaster coordinator at a Chicago health center.
"My grades have always been excellent," Mulvey told MSNBC. A week after he was fired, he even received a performance bonus. “And yet, like everyone else, I received a letter from DOGE saying that my performance was poor and that's why they didn't want me anymore.“
The cuts are just beginning
And the cuts so far are just the beginning: Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins announced that the number of employees would be reduced by 15% - to their 2019 level. Moreover, the department's budget and staff were increased precisely during Trump's first term to ensure better care for veterans.
The department was bloated and inefficient, the minister now claims. He promised that the 70,000 job cuts would not affect health care and other care for veterans.
An important group of Trump voters
There are nearly 16 million war veterans in the United States - this makes them important voters: about 60% of them voted for Donald Trump in 2024. The president recently promised again that he would take good care of them. However, many veterans now see something completely different, ARD notes.