Department of Veterans Affairs Fires Over 1,000 Employees

Some of the employees who were fired were probationary employees, or had been with the agency for less than two years. None of the terminated workers were in “mission-critical positions,” the agency said in a statement.

The VA expects the terminations to cut costs by more than $98 million per year.

“At VA, we are focused on saving money so it can be better spent on Veteran care. We thank these employees for their service to VA. This was a tough decision, but ultimately it’s the right call to better support the Veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors the department exists to serve,” VA Secretary Doug Collins said.

“To be perfectly clear: these moves will not negatively impact VA health care, benefits or beneficiaries. In the coming weeks and months, VA will be announcing plans to put these resources to work helping Veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors.”

The terminations were attributed to President Donald Trump’s focus on making the government more efficient.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), run by Elon Musk, has been reviewing various agencies in recent weeks as part of the effort.

The Trump administration also offered buyouts to government workers. About 75,000 workers accepted the buyouts before the program closed, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday.

Trump signed an executive order earlier in the week that said the administration would hire no more than one worker for every four employees that depart.

The order also said that each agency head shall work with DOGE to ensure that new hires are in high-need areas and that vacancies should not be filled if DOGE advises against it.

“Now, agency heads will coordinate and consult with DOGE to significantly shrink the size of the federal workforce and limit hiring to essential positions only,” Leavitt told reporters during a press conference on Wednesday.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/department-veterans-affairs-fires-over-1000-employees

Massive Shake-Up at NIH and CDC: Over 5,000 Probationary Employees Fired in Friday Purge

The Trump administration has launched a significant workforce reduction, targeting over 200,000 probationary federal employees across multiple agencies, including a staggering purge at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),

The day of reckoning at NIH in Bethesda, Maryland, saw scientists and medical researchers walking out in disbelief, some in tears, some walking arm-in-arm, as they were forced to clear out their offices, according to NBC Washington.

It is unclear how many employees were terminated in the Friday purge, but according to Katie Sandlin, an Education Outreach Specialist at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), the number was 2,000.

“Today, along with 2,000 other NIH employees, I had to clear out my office,” said Katie Sandlin, an Education Outreach Specialist at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI).

“It was truly the honor of my life to work with such incredibly passionate people focused on improving human health,” she added.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/massive-shake-up-nih-cdc-5000-probationary-employees/