From left, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., speaks with Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, before an unofficial hearing on the recent firings of veterans by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

WASHINGTON — A fired federal worker who was the information security lead for VA.gov — the online platform that enables veterans to manage their benefits with the Department of Veterans Affairs — warned users’ health information and other sensitive data is at risk because of workforce reductions across the federal government.

Jonathan Kamens, a former information security employee with the U.S. Digital Service, described his role protecting online data for millions of veterans during a two-hour “shadow hearing” held Wednesday by Senate Democrats to examine the recent mass firings of federal workers by President Donald Trump’s administration and the impact on veterans.

The unofficial meeting was organized by Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, who was joined by several other Senate Democrats to hear first-person accounts from workers about their job terminations and the impacts on benefits and services for veterans.

“These firings have disproportionately affected our VA and veterans’ workforce, and the harm to them individually will become painfully clear today,” Blumenthal said at the start of the hearing. “They have suffered from uncertainty, from financial distress, from emotional hardship, in ways that I think Elon Musk and Donald Trump need to understand.”

The hearing was livestreamed on X, the social media platform owned by Musk, the tech billionaire who has advised the administration and orchestrated sweeping job terminations as part of a federal workforce reduction ordered by Trump. Musk leads the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

Though the meeting was held at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, most of the witnesses participated remotely. More than 8,500 users had watched the hearing on the social media by Thursday.

Kamens, who had worked at the U.S. Digital Service for 18 months, said his role was to secure online health information and other sensitive data at VA.gov.

He told lawmakers that VA.gov processes an array of “extremely personal information” on veterans and their families, including medical, financial and demographic data. This includes Social Security numbers and tax data showing income.

“This type of data is continuously sought out by threat actors looking to defraud or extort victims or bombard them with targeted disinformation,” said Kamens, who testified virtually from Massachusetts.

But he said he and other employees in similar positions were fired in February under what was described as an agency restructuring. Kamens said his job has not been filled.

“I spoke to someone from my department, and the role I had remains vacant,” he said. “My firing leaves the office of the chief technology officer without adequate information security expertise, a gap that is unlikely to be remedied due to DOGE’s crusade to slash the federal workforce and contractors and VA Secretary [Doug] Collins’ plans to aggressively cut VA staffing.”

Kamens referred to a leaked memo from the VA chief of staff that disclosed plans for 83,000 additional VA job cuts in the summer.

Jonathan Kamens testifies remotely during an unofficial hearing on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, regarding the recent firings of veterans by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Kamens was fired from the U.S. Digital Service, where he oversaw information security for VA.gov. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

Marine Corps veteran Kira Carrigan, who is a military spouse, was among the fired federal workers invited to speak at the hearing.

Carrigan, who spoke virtually from her home in Louisiana, talked about the impact of losing her job as a human resources specialist at the Office of Personnel Management. She described herself as a disabled veteran who served in the military from 2006 to 2010 and is married to an active-duty Marine.

“I started my position in December of last year and successfully passed multiple trainings and had been assigned work cases. I only had positive feedback from supervisors. Despite my outstanding performance, I was dismissed with less than 30 minutes warning,” Carrigan said.

The termination notice stated she was fired for poor performance.

“This has devastated our family and our future as well,” said Carrigan, whose husband is about to retire from military service. “I don’t believe I am owed a job or a paycheck. But what I am owed is respect and not being fired under the guise that my performance was poor. All I ask is that the federal government follow its own procedures for reducing the workforce and treating us with dignity.”

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a member of the Senate Armed Services and Senate Budget committees, said he is worried the administration is waging a war on veterans.

“When you look at the disproportionate effect across-the-board firings has on a federal workforce that is 30% veteran, the single group most disproportionately affected is veterans,” he said.

Kaine said two large VA clinics are about to open in Virginia with just a skeleton crew. He questioned how the clinics will be able to fully function, as the VA plans another round of job cuts after imposing a hiring freeze earlier this year.

Other Senate Democrats at the hearing included Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Ruben Gallego of Arizona, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, also took part.

Hassan asked the veterans who participated what message the sweeping job terminations sends to veterans. About 6,000 veterans have been fired across federal agencies, including at the VA.

“I have a 17-year-old son, and we were looking into the military for him. But I don’t know that I want him to do this now. I do not have confidence to have my child put his life on the line for this country,” said Air Force veteran Shernice Mundell, who had been promoted to a new position at the Office of Personnel Management right before she was fired.

Retired Air Force veteran Shernice Mundell testifies during an unofficial hearing on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, regarding the recent firings of veterans by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Mundell previously worked in the Office of Personnel Management before she was fired. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

Lou Graziani, a retired disabled Army veteran who served for 20 years, said he was just reinstated in his job at the VA per federal court order after being fired in February.

“I was unceremoniously terminated on Valentine’s Day. But I do not feel as safe as I think I should,” said Graziani, who works in public affairs at a VA office in The Bronx, N.Y. His job includes explaining VA services and benefits to veterans.

When Blumenthal announced the shadow hearing, he said it was necessary because Republican lawmakers who lead the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs committees have yet to schedule a formal hearing on the federal job terminations and their impact on veterans’ jobs, benefits and services.

Blumenthal said the VA secretary did not respond to his invitation to speak at the hearing, though Collins has agreed to come before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee at an unspecified date, according to lawmakers.

“I am hopeful that he will give us a date certain when he will be before the committee, but we again don’t know, we don’t know when that will be,” Blumenthal said.