Sen. Murray calls Trump administration proposal to cut 80,000 VA jobs 'flat-out immoral'

U.S. Senator Patty Murray is speaking out against the Trump administration's reported plan to fire 80,000 employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

In a statement published Wednesday, Murray, a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, called the Trump administration’s plan a breach of the commitment the country makes to take care of service members.

“Donald Trump and Elon Musk are escalating their full-scale, no-holds-barred assault on veterans–and putting the health care and benefits they have earned in grave danger," Murray said in the statement.

According to a memo obtained by the Associated Press, the firings are expected to occur in August, and the agency says they will "resize and tailor the workforce to the mission and revised structure."

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But these firings would only endanger veterans' access to benefits, and cause them to have to wait longer to see their health care providers, have someone pick up their calls at the Veterans Crisis Line, and have disability claims handled, according to Murray.

During a virtual meeting hosted by Murray recently, Army veteran Rafael Garcia shared his reaction to VA layoffs that have already happened.

Garcia worked as a management analyst at the VA Seattle Regional Office, but was laid off.

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"Removing key personnel, not only delays claim processing, it erodes the institutional knowledge built over years of service, and sacrifices the care and compassion our veterans deserve," Garcia said.

According to the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs, about 502,000 veterans live in Washington state.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs did not respond to a request for comment.