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By Kate Plummer
Senior US News Reporter
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Thousands of veterans are expected to march on Washington, D.C., to protest feared cuts at the Department of Veterans Affairs, veterans' campaigners say.
Why It Matters
The VA is the second-largest U.S. government department, employing around 470,000 people. There are some 6.2 million veterans in the United States who receive disability benefits from the VA.
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In its budget proposal for fiscal year 2026, the Trump administration called for a four percent discretionary spending increase at the VA, largely targeting improvements to medical care and records technology.
However, some veterans have said they fear a 15 percent reduction in the VA workforce announced by Secretary Doug Collins could have an impact on their benefits — although the department has repeatedly denied this and said benefits will not be cut.
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The Trump administration says that technology advances will help the agency function despite staffing cuts. The cuts come amid a broader effort to reduce costs and streamline government services.
Earlier this month, Federal News Network reported that over 14,000 VA employees in health care positions applied to leave their jobs through separation incentives offered by the federal government. However, veterans have expressed concerns that job cuts will compromise their ability to access benefits due to the reduced staffing levels.
A spokesman for the VA told Newsweek: "While all VA employees may apply for these programs, employees who provide direct or indirect care to Veterans will only be approved in very limited circumstances when their separation fulfills missions needs. Approval for staff in these positions requires multiple high-level reviews, and VA anticipates very few of these applications to be approved."
What To Know
The rally will take place at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on June 6 at 2 p.m. ET. It coincides with the 81st anniversary of D-Day, when Allied forces launched the invasion of Normandy, France, during World War II.
The campaign website said it expected "thousands of veterans, military families, and their allies" to attend the march.
Rally leaders described themselves as the "Bonus Army of 2025," referencing the 1932 protest in which World War I veterans and their supporters marched on Washington to demand payment of their promised bonuses amid the Great Depression.
What People Are Saying
A spokesman for the VA told Newsweek: "VA is assessing staff levels across the entire department with the goal of implementing a reduction in force (RIF) that could affect as much as 15 percent of VA's workforce, or about 70,000 people. We will accomplish this without making cuts to health care or benefits to veterans and VA beneficiaries.
"VA will maintain mission-essential jobs like doctors, nurses and claims processors and reduce administrators, advisors, and middle manager posts to eliminate duplicative, unnecessary layers of management and bureaucracy that do nothing to serve our Veterans and actually hinder our mission."
The Unite For Veterans website said: "America made a promise to its veterans. It's a promise we intend to keep."
It added: "We are coming together to defend the benefits, jobs, and dignity that every generation of veterans has earned through sacrifice."
Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins said at a Senate hearing in early May: "We have been emphatic that we will not be cutting benefits and health care, only improving them."
Margaret Cooney, senior campaign manager at the self-described progressive Center for American Progress, wrote on May 23: "Overall, these cuts to staffing and funding will damage public health and safety; harm economic interests and programs, such as like the VA's Armed to Farm program that support veterans' transition into faming; and leave U.S. veterans without the support they were promised for serving their country."
What Happens Next
The cuts are expected to take place in August, according to a memo from the VA chief of staff, seen by The Wall Street Journal.
Whether the administration reacts to the backlash remains to be seen.
Correction 06/03/2025 10.40 a.m. ET: The headline was corrected to remove a reference to benefits cuts at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Additional statements from a VA spokesman were also added.
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