The Trump administration is planning sweeping job cuts across key federal agencies, with memos revealing intentions to slash approximately 80,000 positions at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and nearly half of the estimated 90,000 at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), according to reports by the Associated Presss. The reductions, part of an aggressive government restructuring under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by billionaire Elon Musk, aim to return agency staffing levels to those seen before the Biden administration’s expansion efforts.
IRS faces potentially crippling workforce cuts
According to sources familiar with the deliberations, the IRS is preparing to cut up to half of its workforce through a mix of layoffs, attrition, and incentivized buyouts. The agency currently employs approximately 90,000 workers nationwide. A reduction of this magnitude would severely impact the tax agency’s ability to function, former IRS Commissioner John Koskinen warned, calling the cuts “dysfunctional.”
Already, 7,000 probationary employees with one year or less of service were laid off in February. In addition to these cuts, the administration has proposed a “deferred resignation program,” offering buyouts to most federal employees, though IRS staff involved in the 2025 tax season were instructed to delay participation until after the taxpayer filing deadline in mid-May.
Beyond workforce reductions, the administration also intends to temporarily reassign IRS employees to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to assist in immigration enforcement. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem requested this transfer in a February letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
The proposed IRS overhaul has sparked concern among former officials. In a New York Times opinion piece, Koskinen and six other former IRS commissioners warned that such drastic cuts would make tax collection less effective, reducing government revenue and increasing inefficiencies. However, the White House has yet to confirm a timeline for the IRS reorganization, as federal agencies are required to submit their final reduction-in-force plans by March 13.
Veterans affairs targeted for major workforce reduction
The Department of Veterans Affairs is also facing a dramatic workforce downsizing, with an internal memo obtained by the Associated Press revealing a planned reduction of over 80,000 jobs. VA Chief of Staff Christopher Syrek instructed top officials to prepare for an agency-wide restructuring set to take place in August, with the goal of rolling back staffing levels to pre-2020 figures.
VA Secretary Doug Collins defended the cuts in a social media video, stating that the layoffs would not impact veterans’ health care or benefits. “This administration is finally going to give the veterans what they want,” Collins said. “President Trump has a mandate for generational change in Washington, and that’s exactly what we’re going to deliver at the VA.”
However, veteran advocacy groups and congressional leaders have raised alarms over the implications of such reductions. The VA, which reached record service levels last year by providing care to over 9 million enrollees and handling 127.5 million medical appointments, is already experiencing pushback from veterans affected by previous layoffs and contract terminations. More than 25% of the VA’s workforce is composed of veterans, making these cuts particularly concerning.
Michael Missal, the VA’s former inspector general who was recently dismissed by Trump alongside other oversight officials, warned that the restructuring would weaken the agency. “What’s going to happen is the VA’s not going to perform as well for veterans, and veterans are going to get harmed,” Missal told the AP. During his tenure, the VA inspector general’s office identified $45 billion in waste and fraud, but Trump’s dismissals of inspectors general have made accountability efforts increasingly difficult.
Political and public response to the job cuts
The planned federal reductions have sparked a political firestorm. Congressional Republicans have largely reserved judgment, with House Veterans Affairs Committee Chair Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL) stating that he would “continue to ask questions and keep a close eye” on how the restructuring evolves. However, Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-SC) criticized the lack of consultation with Congress, calling it “political malpractice” for the VA to make such drastic decisions without notifying lawmakers.
Democrats, meanwhile, have fiercely opposed the administration’s plans. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), the ranking Democrat on the Senate committee overseeing veterans’ affairs, denounced the cuts as an “all-out assault” on the progress made in expanding veteran services, particularly under the 2022 PACT Act, which covered veterans exposed to toxic burn pits.
“Their plan prioritizes private sector profits over veterans’ care, balancing the budget on the backs of those who served,” Blumenthal stated. House Democratic leadership echoed these sentiments, with Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA) asserting that “Democrats are here to say in unison we will not allow our veterans to be defined as government waste.”
Veterans advocacy groups have also voiced deep concerns over the uncertainty surrounding the layoffs. Brent Reiffer, a Marine veteran and advocate with the Wounded Warrior Project, warned that the disruption could lead to veterans opting out of VA services altogether. “Confusion that leads to frustration is setting in,” Reiffer said. “If you draw that to a conclusion sometimes, it’s the veteran just throws their hands up and doesn’t go to the VA. What you end up with is a lot of veterans that are not getting the care that they deserve.”
As the Trump administration pushes forward with its federal workforce reduction strategy, the future of the IRS, VA, and other agencies remains in flux. The coming months will determine whether these plans are implemented as proposed or face legal and legislative challenges from critics who fear their far-reaching consequences.
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