FIRINGS AFFECT REGION’S VA WORKERS

George Scheibe is only 30, and some friends his age already have cancer.

A veteran who was deployed three times and is now labeled 100% disabled by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, Mr. Scheibe, of Plum, is one of millions of people who rely on the federal agency for care. His friends, who were exposed to toxic chemicals while serving in the armed forces, also need the agency for their medical needs.

But the Trump administration’s efforts to slash costs across the federal government may pose a risk to those treatments. So far, the agency has laid off about 2,400 employees, and the suspension of hundreds of contracts that advocates say would hinder critical veterans’ health services is pending.

Pittsburgh, a longtime hub for veterans and veteran resources, has not been spared — a small number of probationary staff at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System were already dismissed this month, a spokesperson confirmed. Pennsylvania has a veteran population of more than 800,000, the fourth largest in the country.

“We just had a 21-year war and people deserve to be treated and cared for afterward,” Mr. Scheibe said. “So taking that away and then firing veterans from working in the VA just doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.”

Shelley Kay Nulph, Pittsburgh VA spokeswoman, said there have been no negative impacts on “mission-critical services” in the region, but she declined to go into further detail, citing privacy concerns.

Billions of dollars in contract cuts were temporarily suspended Wednesday after lawmakers sounded alarms over the move. The VA in a statement called the suspension “an ongoing and non-final decision.”

At stake are more than 800 contracts ranging from cancer treatment for vets, research on toxic pit burn exposure and radiation detection equipment.

However, VA Secretary Doug Collins described the contracts as simply consulting deals, whose cancellation would save the federal government $2 billion.

“No more paying consultants to do things like make Power Point slides and write meeting minutes!” Mr. Collins posted to X Tuesday, in a statement that was then lauded by Elon Musk, President Donald Trump’s cost-cutting chief at the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

Mr. Scheibe said he supports cost-cutting measures — just not at the expense of lifesaving care.

“Cutting cancer funding, toxic exposure … that’s not right,” he said. “There’s guys in their 20s who can barely get out of their bed in the morning because of everything that they had to go through.”

Many vets were among the thousands who were fired from the federal workforce. According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, military veterans made up about 30% of federal employees in 2021, and many of them had service-related disabilities.

“One of my VA doctors fought in Operation Desert Storm,” Mr. Scheibe said. “It just brings back the distrust of the government [for vets]. ... Making cuts to these men, for many of us getting out of the military, working at the VA — that was our dream.”

VA officials pushed back on the message that veterans and their families will suffer from the budget cuts.

“We will not be eliminating any benefits or services to Veterans or VA beneficiaries, and there will be no negative impact to VA health care, benefits or beneficiaries. We are always going to take care of Veterans at VA. Period,” VA press secretary Pete Kasperowicz said in a statement.

U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Aspinwall, opposed President Donald Trump’s budget slashing. In a letter, he asked the local VA for the number of fired employees in Pittsburgh. He also took to the house floor on Thursday in protest, calling the blows to the VA a betray to veterans.

“You do not send young Americans off to fight wars and then come back to this country and betray them and attack the VA,” he said.

Democrats and Republicans have publicly expressed concerns for veterans as contract cuts remain undetermined.

“They are looking into this,” said Stephanie Salanger, communications director for Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families. On Wednesday, the IVMF testified before the Senate and House Veterans Affairs Committees about the effects of potential cuts to the VA.

“However, there seems to be divergent views about how to go about it between Democrats and Republicans. The committee is also working with the VA and leaders on this topic.”

There’s also a split among vets, many of whom voted for Trump. A September poll from the Pew Research Center saw about 60% of vets ahead of the November election said they supported Trump.

Mr. Scheibe said most of the older vets he knows are still supporting Trump. But as for him and his friends, their eyes are opened wide.

“[Younger generations are] the ones who are still going through their disability battles and everything, trying to get the health care that they deserve, and now their stuff is being cut,” he said. “That’s not right.”