VA will cut 25,000 positions it has been unable to fill

By Quil Lawrence

Published December 19, 2025 at 5:12 PM EST

The VA secretary says the department will trim at least 25,000 vacant positions from the rolls. That's after about that same number have already left the VA this year.

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NPR

Quil Lawrence

Quil Lawrence is a New York-based correspondent for NPR News, covering veterans' issues nationwide. He won a Robert F. Kennedy Award for his coverage of American veterans and a Gracie Award for coverage of female combat veterans. In 2019 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America honored Quil with its IAVA Salutes Award for Leadership in Journalism.

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