Local veteran reacts to Veteran Affairs layoffs
“Every role at the VA is important”
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - A thousand employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs are now looking for new jobs after layoffs next week. It’s a part of President Donald Trump’s work to downsize the government.
A local veteran shared his story with First Alert 4, concerned that his and many other veterans’ care may be affected by these cuts.
“When we the military, we raised our right hand and we said ‘We will defend this country knowing that you could end up in one of the worst places in the world, in a hazardous situation, imminent danger and God forbid death but you know your country is going to take care of you,’” said Daniel Szyman, a veteran, nurse, and member of AFGE Local 96.
“I was deployed in of operation freedom,” said Szyman.
Decades later, Szyman is thankful his veteran status allows him to be treated by the VA but he’s now concerned after the Trump istration announced the release of 1,000 Veterans Affairs employees. The new Secretary of Veterans Affairs says only early-career, probationary employees were released.
“Every role at the VA is important,” said April Williams.
Williams is a ed nurse and a member of AFGE. She works on the hospital side of the VA and is concerned about the consequences of the layoffs.
“It affects your morale as an individual who tries to come to work to do the best that you can for your patients, especially because they’re veterans. It’s important to me to be able to perform those services to the best of my ability and to be at my best and to do that without the concern of being short of staff,” said Williams.
The layoffs are said to save the Department of Veterans Affairs $98 million. The Trump istration says the money will be redirected to efficiently care for veterans.
“It was a life experience I’d never give it up, but I think that a lot of people nowadays are not going to do that if they see the way veterans are being treated today. If they cut services, if they cut health care, we’re going to have retention problems in the military,” said Szyman.
According to the Pew Research Center, the Department of Veterans Affairs employs more than 486,000 people. It has the largest payroll of the 18 cabinet-level departments.
Copyright 2025 KMOV. All rights reserved.
