Members of the American Legion pray Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, before a joint hearing of the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs committees in Washington. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

WASHINGTON — The nation’s leading veterans advocacy groups condemned the purge of workers at the Department of Veterans Affairs and called on President Donald Trump’s administration to reinstate an estimated 6,000 veterans fired across the federal government.

Thousands of jobs at the VA have been lost as part of a new hiring freeze and layoffs across the agency that began two weeks ago, lawmakers said. The VA has not disclosed how many of those jobs were held by veterans, but American Legion representatives said Wednesday that the vast majority of the 470,000 workers at the VA are veterans.

“The state of veterans services is imperiled. We are watching the gutting of the Department of Veterans Affairs,” Navy veteran Lindsay Church, director of Minority Veterans of America, said Wednesday at the start of a joint hearing of the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs committees.

The hearing was held for veterans service organizations to present their legislative priorities. But the focus was on the firings and the impact on veterans who receive VA benefits and services as well as other veterans who lost jobs in workforce reductions that extend to agencies across the federal government.

“Thousands of employees — many veterans themselves — were indiscriminately fired overnight, jeopardizing the quality and accessibility of VA care. Veterans are being turned into collateral damage in a war of political posturing,” Church said about Trump’s directive to downsize the federal workforce to achieve cost savings.

“I have grave concerns about how Trump’s executive orders are being carried out across the federal government, most especially at the Department of Veterans Affairs,” said Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., who later implored Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., the committee chairman, to hold a hearing on the firings and its impact on veterans.

Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., left, and Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., have a heated discussion on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, during a joint hearing of the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs committees about the potential harm done to veterans who were fired recently from the Department of Veterans Affairs. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

Following a contentious exchange, Bost said he will take it under advisement.

More than 2 million people work in federal government jobs. Veterans make up roughly 30% of that workforce. The percentage is higher at the VA.

About 360,000 people in the VA’s workforce of 470,000 are veterans, said Cole T. Lyle, national director of veterans affairs and rehabilitation at the American Legion.

“We have not been able to track down how many of the VA’s fired workers are veterans or military spouses,” he told lawmakers Wednesday.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars urged its members to “march forth” to protest the cuts and the effect on veterans’ services and jobs.

Al Lipphardt, VFW national commander, called on the group’s members to turn out March 4 for another joint hearing of House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs committees at which he will speak out against workforce cuts across the government, including the VA.

“It has become clearer that the veteran community has been hit hard as probationary federal jobs are being axed across the country, to include the latest announcement of 1,400 more just let go from the VA,” he said, referring to the number of new workers the VA fired Monday. “I want to see hats in the hallways of our Capitol as our legislative committee members engage with lawmakers. It’s time to apply pressure and stop the bleeding.”

Cole Lyle, director of veterans affairs and rehabilitation for the American Legion, testifies Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, during a joint hearing of the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs committees in Washington. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

But Lyle also appeared to backtrack on the American Legion’s written statement asking lawmakers on the House and Senate committees to pressure the VA to exempt staff at medical facilities and the Veterans Benefits Administration from the hiring freeze.

Lyle said he met Tuesday with VA Secretary Doug Collins, who assured him the delivery of veterans’ health care and benefits will not be delayed or affected by job reductions from the hiring freeze and firings, which began Feb. 13.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., a retired Army National Guard lieutenant colonel, disputed claims by Collins and other VA officials that no frontline jobs were impacted in the workforce reduction.

Duckworth said she and her staff helped two new employees fired Feb. 14 from jobs at the veterans crisis line get their jobs back. She said their roles were answering calls from veterans experiencing a mental health crisis and at risk of suicide. The workers had been in their roles less than a year and were on probation with fewer job protections.

Duckworth said her office learned of a third staff member fired from the veterans crisis line after being promoted to supervisor. That staff member also was considered a probationary worker in the new role.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., right, greets Ken Greenberg, the national executive director for the Jewish War Veterans, during a joint hearing of the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs committees in Washington on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

Lyle also complained his organization has had trouble getting information about the job reductions across the federal workforce and the impact on veterans.

“A lot is happening quickly. Every few days, we learn of something new and how it may impact veterans,” he said.

Rep. Derek Tran, D-Calif., an Army veteran and employment lawyer, introduced a bill this week to protect veterans’ jobs in the federal workforce. His bill would require veterans to be reinstated to their federal jobs if they are found to have been terminated without reason.

“These veterans have done so much to protect us. The least we can do is have their backs,” Tran said on MSNBC. “I take deep offense to what is happening to my fellow brothers and sisters who donned a uniform.”

Leaders for Disabled American Veterans also expressed frustration about the workforce cuts, including at the VA. The organization issued a statement Wednesday stating the workforce cuts at the VA “are deeply concerning, especially given the unprecedented lack of transparency surrounding these decisions.”

Veterans and their families deserve clear answers on how these reductions will impact their care and benefits, the DAV said.

“This should not be happening,” Rep. Tim Kennedy, D-N.Y., said at the hearing.

He accused Elon Musk, who has been advising Trump on the workforce reductions, of running roughshod over veterans who followed military service with public service jobs in the government.

“We owe it to our veterans to prioritize their well-being and treat them like the heroes they are,” Kennedy said.