Trump’s federal hiring freeze raises fears about VA medical care

Congressional lawmakers this week expressed concern that President Donald Trump’s new federal hiring freeze could hurt operations at Veterans Affairs medical centers by complicating efforts to fill critical health care specialties.

But whether the executive order even applies to those posts remains unclear. Trump’s pick to lead VA told lawmakers Tuesday that he is still examining the new rule, but he’s optimistic it will not adversely impact veterans’ care.

“I think what we’re going to see is that no one on the veteran side is going to miss their health care provider because of this new hiring freeze,” VA secretary nominee Doug Collins told members of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee during his confirmation hearing. “The president is making a prudent step as he comes into office to make sure that we have a good handle on what we got.”

Just hours after his inauguration, Trump ordered “a freeze on the hiring of federal civilian employees, to be applied throughout the executive branch.” The action covered both existing vacant posts and any potential new federal jobs.

The order did include an exception for military personnel, as well as positions related to immigration enforcement and public safety. It also stated that “nothing in this memorandum shall adversely impact the provision of Social Security, Medicare or veterans’ benefits.”

Collins acknowledged in the confirmation hearing that exactly what that exception covers is not clear. Benefits processors appear unaffected by the freeze, but what – if any – medical posts are covered is undefined for now. He said sorting out the uncertainty will be among his first priorities if he is approved for the VA leadership post.

VA ended fiscal 2024 with about 454,000 staffers, about 417,000 of whom work in department medical centers and clinics. About 10% of the workforce leaves each year due to retirement, firings or other career opportunities.

That level of attrition means Veterans Health Administration officials need to hire upwards of 40,000 new workers annually to maintain operations at VA medical sites, a significant challenge given the hundreds of locations spread throughout the United States.

Before Trump returned to the White House, officials from former President Joe Biden’s administration had warned that VA would likely need a budget boost of several billion dollars in coming months to keep up hiring rates to maintain current service levels.

Mark Takano, D-Calif., the ranking member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said Tuesday Trump’s hiring halt could make that challenge even worse.

“If VA freezes hiring as mandated in Trump’s executive order, veterans could face significant wait times for medical appointments and reductions in access to care and benefits,” Takano said in a statement. “The drafters of these orders clearly did not consider the downstream effects of a hiring freeze on the millions of veterans who rely on VA.”

Several Democrats on the Senate panel expressed similar concerns.

“There are also openings where the facility directors are saying, ‘We need more nurses, we need more doctors, we need more mental health care specialists,’” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., ranking member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “You can’t provide veterans health care without the skilled professionals to do it.”

Federal union representatives also attacked the move.

“Make no mistake – this action is not about making the federal government run more efficiently but rather is about sowing chaos and targeting a group of patriotic Americans that President Trump openly calls crooked and dishonest,” American Federation of Government Employees President Everett Kelley said in a statement.

As part of the order, Trump directed officials in his new administration to submit plans “to reduce the size of the federal government’s workforce through efficiency improvements and attrition” in the next 90 days. The memo states that the freeze will stay in place until at least then.