Duckworth Statement on Trump’s Mass Federal and VA Layoffs That Are Jeopardizing Veterans’ Access to Care and Leaving Veterans Jobless

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after President Donald Trump laid off more than 1,000 “probationary” employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and purged thousands of federal employees, including many Veterans who devoted their lives to service:

“In the wake of Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s mass federal layoffs, I’m continuing to hear from Veterans who suddenly found themselves jobless—including some Veteran federal workers with as many as 18 years of service. This reckless action comes directly after Trump and Musk fired 1,000 VA employees—including doctors, nurses, devoted public servants working the Veterans Crisis Line and more—which will lead to even longer wait times, more backlog and more chaos for our Veterans. While Trump and Musk can keep claiming that they’re working to weed out waste and save money, we know that these mass federal layoffs and VA cuts are ultimately their attempts to fund tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy—and stick our Veterans with the bill. Trump’s federal purge and VA layoffs are a middle finger to our nation’s heroes and their life of service.”

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