The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said it will trim its workforce by roughly 30,000 employees by the end of the current fiscal year, a sharp retreat from earlier plans to eliminate as many as 80,000 jobs. The reductions, scheduled to be completed by 30 September 2025, will occur mainly through the federal hiring freeze, voluntary early retirements, deferred resignations and normal attrition, the agency said in a statement issued Monday. VA Secretary Doug Collins said the smaller target removes the need for a large-scale reduction-in-force and will not affect health-care delivery or benefits. According to the department, about 17,000 workers have already left since 1 January, leaving a remaining reduction of roughly 12,000 positions to reach the new goal. The agency employed roughly 484,000 people at the start of the year, meaning the cuts amount to about 6 percent of its staff. The pull-back comes after months of criticism from veterans’ groups and lawmakers who warned that deeper cuts would jeopardise care for more than nine million enrolled veterans. While Collins characterised the move as part of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative to streamline federal agencies, Democrats such as Senator Richard Blumenthal and Representative Mark Takano said the loss of 30,000 jobs will still strain services. A government-wide hiring freeze remains in effect until at least mid-October, limiting the VA’s ability to replace departing personnel.