Fired VA health workers reinstated, but new staff don't trust Trump and Musk

Source: USA Today

Fired VA health workers reinstated, but new staff don't trust Trump and Musk

Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY
Sat, February 22, 2025 at 2:30 PM EST·7 min read

WASHINGTON − The Department of Veterans Affairs has scrambled to reinstate some fired healthcare workers as new hires turn to other work out of fear they could be next to go in a future purge, elected officials and VA staffers said.

More than 1,000 VA employees were fired amid the sweeping layoffs of federal workers across the government, the department announced last week. Those fired included probationary employees – with two years or less on the job, depending on the position.

The firings are part of an effort by President Donald Trump and his top advisor, multibillionaire tech CEO Elon Musk, to radically shrink the size of the federal workforce. The abrupt firings have roiled the government and outraged critics who say workers in areas including nuclear security, forest fire prevention and bird flu response have been culled without warning.

This week, Democratic lawmakers said, at least two workers out of around a dozen fired from the Veterans Crisis Line, a suicide prevention hotline for veterans, were reinstated after the lawmakers intervened.

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Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/news/fired-va-health-workers-reinstated-193020183.html