On December 17, 2025, President Donald Trump delivered a primetime address from the White House, promising a so-called "warrior dividend" of $1,776 to all military service members. The announcement, intended as a patriotic gesture, was quickly followed by revelations that the funding for these checks would be drawn from money Congress had previously allocated for housing subsidies for service members earlier in the year, as reported by Rolling Stone. While the president touted the dividend as a reward for those who "deserve it most," critics and multiple news outlets noted that the money would not be a true bonus, but rather a reallocation of existing benefits.
This move came amid a sweeping series of changes at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which, according to a memo obtained by The Washington Post, is set to eliminate an additional 35,000 health care positions nationwide in December 2025. The cuts, which include doctors, nurses, and support staff, are part of a broader federal effort—outlined in Project 2025 and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative—to privatize the VA by attrition. Over the past year alone, the VA has already lost more than 30,000 employees nationwide, with many of these positions remaining unfilled as hiring pipelines have slowed and staff burnout has increased.
The VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, a key part of the regional service network VISN 4, is among the hardest hit. On December 19, 2025, TribLive reported that the Pittsburgh system plans to cut nearly 10% of its workforce. According to an internal memo, the system was allotted 4,551 positions out of about 18,000 for VISN 4, which covers nine campuses, 46 outpatient clinics, and 16 vet centers across Pennsylvania, Delaware, and parts of Ohio, West Virginia, New York, and New Jersey. The network serves approximately 93,000 veterans with a $1.2 billion budget, as detailed in its 2025 annual report. The current headcount at the Pittsburgh system stands at 4,932 employees.
Senior leaders at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System were informed of the organizational changes and impending reductions on December 15, 2025. According to transcripts obtained by TribLive, the internal memo bluntly stated, "Through this exercise, it was determined that it will be impossible to continue all services with this reduction in headcount." Employees were told to expect further communications about the cuts over the holidays, with in-person town halls scheduled for early January 2026 to discuss the details.
Despite the scale of the reductions, Pittsburgh VA spokeswoman Shelley Nulph insisted in a statement on December 17, 2025, "Not a single person employed at VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System is losing their job." Nulph declined to clarify whether all the eliminated positions are vacant, which departments would be affected, or what the final staffing levels would be after the cuts. The lack of transparency left many employees and observers uneasy, especially as the cuts are expected to impact both clinical and support staff roles.
Across the country, similar stories are playing out. In Spokane, Washington, the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center is eliminating 137 vacant positions—8% of its jobs—as part of the nationwide effort to "streamline operations and eliminate waste," according to hospital director Robert Fischer. The Spokesman-Review reported that while none of the current employees will be terminated, about 100 vacancies remain at the Spokane hospital and its affiliated clinics. Director Fischer told staff, "We are not alone. We have not been singled out." He acknowledged that the hospital's problematic electronic health record system, adopted in 2020, has contributed to budget deficits and forced more patients to seek care outside the VA, which tends to be more expensive for taxpayers.
The eliminated positions in Spokane include many behavioral health roles and staff in the Office of Community Care—areas considered critical for veterans, who experience higher rates of mental health issues than the general population. Link Miles, president of the National Federation of Federal Employees Local 1641, noted, "The workload of those positions is still on the backs of those present." He pointed out that the decision to cut vacancies was not based on a demonstrated decrease in workload, raising questions about the long-term impact on care quality and staff morale.
VA Secretary Doug Collins has pushed back against media reports, particularly those from The Washington Post, accusing them of spreading "fake news" about the VA firing 35,000 workers. Collins clarified that the department is eliminating unfilled positions—mostly COVID-era roles that have not been occupied for over a year—and asserted, "No VA employees are being removed, and this will have zero impact on Veteran care." However, many on the ground, including staff and union representatives, remain skeptical. As Senator Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat on the Senate VA Committee, remarked in a recent video, "I have never, not once in my life, talked to a veteran who thought the problem with the VA health care system is that it has too many staff. The problem is often that there are not enough providers and staff, and that it takes far too long for our veterans to get the basic care they need."
Senator Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican and chair of the Senate VA Committee, echoed concerns about the necessity of the positions being cut, stating, "That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not necessary. Behavioral health is an example where we need more people working, not less." He plans to hold a hearing to get more answers from Secretary Collins about the workforce changes.
The administration’s actions are taking place alongside other major fiscal shifts. As Rolling Stone noted, the so-called Big Beautiful Bill signed earlier in the year delivers $1 trillion in tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans over the next decade, while cutting an equivalent amount from national health programs. The juxtaposition is stark: as billionaires enjoy tax relief, veterans and their health care providers face shrinking resources, longer wait times, and the prospect of being pushed into private facilities that may not be equipped to meet their unique needs.
In Alameda, California, a long-promised outpatient clinic and columbarium project—nearly 30 years in the making—was abruptly canceled in December 2025, further fueling concerns about the federal government’s commitment to veterans’ care. The pattern, critics say, is clear: as the VA contracts, veterans are nudged toward private-sector care, often at greater cost and with less oversight, all while the administration claims these changes will have "zero impact" on the quality of care.
For many veterans, VA employees, and their families, the immediate future is clouded by uncertainty. While official statements insist that no current workers will lose their jobs, the elimination of thousands of positions—filled or not—raises pressing questions about how the VA will continue to meet its mandate. As the debate intensifies, one thing is certain: the fate of veterans’ health care has become a flashpoint in the broader struggle over the direction of federal policy, budget priorities, and the meaning of public service in America.
Amid the rhetoric and reassurances, the lived experiences of veterans and VA staff will ultimately reveal the true impact of these sweeping changes.
