How many veterans do you know? Chances are that the number is higher than you realize. Younger vets, those in their late 20s and 30s, aren’t as quick to announce their previous service. Many vets who were involved in Afghanistan operations don’t want to talk about their service at all. Modern military service is considerably different in some ways from where it was even 20 years ago. The ‘enemy’ isn’t always clear. The purpose of any action is often questionable.

Yet, regardless of when, where, or how they served, every last one of them were promised that the Veterans Administration (VA) would be there to help them through some of life’s challenges, especially those related to education and healthcare. Now, the government they served is reneging on that agreement by severely diminishing the number of people available to provide any services.

The VA is planning to reduce its workforce by approximately 80,000 employees to return to pre-2020 staffing levels, a move framed as improving efficiency. However, this reduction is raising concerns about the quality and accessibility of services for veterans.  

Sure, if you’re 40 years old or older, you’ve likely heard veterans complaining about the quality of VA care, especially the length of time it can take before seeing a doctor. The 80s and 90s were especially trying decades for veterans. More recent years have seen dramatic improvement in the quality of care, however. The fear is that the ordered cuts could result in significant challenges and slowdown in care.

Of course, every order coming down from the White House gets a legal challenge. Much of what Felonious Punk is trying to do is illegal. Should the cuts hold, however, here are the services most likely to be impacted:

• Healthcare: A significant reduction in staff could lead to longer wait times for appointments, reduced access to specialized medical care, and potentially a decline in the overall quality of healthcare services provided to veterans.  
• Claims Processing: With fewer employees, the processing of disability claims, benefits applications, and appeals could be significantly delayed. This could cause financial strain and uncertainty for veterans relying on these benefits.  
• Education Benefits: The VA provides educational benefits to veterans, and staff cuts could strain the support systems for student veterans and educational institutions. This may make it harder for veterans to access and utilize their education benefits effectively.  
• Mental Health and Crisis Support: Veterans’ mental health services, including crisis hotlines and support groups, are also at risk. Reduced staffing could limit the availability of these crucial services, potentially isolating veterans struggling with mental health challenges or substance use disorders.  

These potential cuts are part of a broader effort to reduce federal spending and streamline government operations. While VA officials argue these changes will improve efficiency without harming veterans’ care, veterans’ advocates and lawmakers are concerned that these cuts will undermine the progress made in expanding veteran services and negatively impact the quality and timeliness of care they receive. Older veterans have seen the long lines before. Younger veterans see this as a betrayal of what the government promised.

The White House is in a full-on cost cutting mood, though, and no federal agency is safe. In addition to the VA, the Internal Revenue Serivce (IRS) announced this week that they will be cutting their workforce by half, roughly 45,000 people. Again, the effect is likely to be quite negative:

• Tax Enforcement and Audits: Reductions in staff, especially those specializing in complex tax investigations, will likely weaken the IRS’s ability to enforce tax laws. This could lead to a decrease in audits, particularly for high-income earners and large corporations, potentially increasing tax evasion.  
• Revenue Collection: With fewer resources dedicated to tax enforcement and compliance, the IRS may collect less revenue overall. Some sources estimate that for every dollar cut from the IRS budget, the government could lose significantly more in uncollected taxes.  
• Taxpayer Services: Layoffs could result in reduced customer service, including longer wait times for phone assistance and delayed responses to taxpayer inquiries. This could make it more difficult for taxpayers to get help with tax filing and resolve issues.  
• Processing Tax Returns and Refunds: While some experts believe the current filing season might not be significantly impacted, potential disruptions could include delays in processing tax returns and issuing refunds in the longer term.  
• Guidance and Clarity: Experts anticipate “less regulation, less clarity and less guidance” from the IRS, which could make it more challenging for taxpayers to understand and comply with their tax obligations.

With 80,000 gone from the VA and another 45,000 gone from IRS, on top of the thousands of cuts to probationary staff, the effects that are felt by US citizens is significant. Not only is there the inevitable lack of service and widespread inefficiency, but unemployment numbers will inevitably rise significantly, possibly over 10%. Heavy job losses mean less spending and the labor market as a whole is forced to shrink, putting strains on the economy.

Government spending contributes significantly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Layoffs reduce government payrolls and potentially government spending on services and programs, directly impacting GDP and potentially slowing down economic growth. The ripple effect causes many adjacent private-sector business to either dramatically shrink or completely close, further reducing any chance of GDP growth. Any decline in the GPD of more than 1% is likely to have a negative impact on the stock market as well.

Perhaps the most understated affect, though, is what happens in the hundreds of towns and cities around the country, well outside of the DC Beltway. Communities heavily reliant on government employment can be disproportionately affected by mass layoffs. These areas may experience significant economic downturns as local businesses suffer from reduced consumer spending and overall economic activity. Many of those quaint Mom & Pop shops that are the centerpiece to small towns, could end up closing as the people who live their can no longer afford to shop.

The cost-cutting in Washington is far from over. What we see happening this week in the VA and IRS will spread to other agencies over the coming weeks. No one is immune from the careless and unrelentless firing of thousands of government employees.

Be well aware that people will die because of these cuts. Veterans with life-threatening conditions will not get appropriate care in time. Parents whose budgets were already strained to the breaking point will have difficulty replacing their government healthcare and will have challenges putting food on their tables. In some cities, the rate of homelessness can’t help but grow as rents were already out of reach.

Overall, federal government employees account for less than two percent of the nation’s total workforce. The affect of those employees touches almost everyone in one way or another, though. There is blood on the hands of this White House, running out the front door in an unrelenting stream.