(The Center Square) – Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is criticizing the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ decision to fire therapists during the dismissals of more than 1,400 of its employees, including workers in Arizona.
The VA said its firings of “non-mission critical” staff – probationary workers employed for less than 2 years – will save more than $83 million annually as part of President Donald Trump’s plan to reduce government spending. But questions have been raised about the decision to make the cuts.
“Veterans in Arizona already struggle to access the care they deserve,” Mayes said in a statement Thursday. “Firing VA therapists, including those helping veterans manage PTSD and chronic pain, is not only cruel – it’s dangerous.”
The VA cuts have come from DOGE, the newly created national agency that President Donald Trump entrusted to Elon Musk, the billionaire who’s CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. The agency, which the White House said is now being led by acting administrator Amy Gleason, has become the center of a national political debate.
DOGE said on its website that it has saved $105 billion or $652.17 per taxpayer, although NPR said that its analysis of figures concluded DOGE has overestimated the savings by billions of dollars.
DOGE has seen support for its effort to reduce government waste.
“The job cuts at the VA will now allow millions of dollars each year to be redirected towards veterans’ health care, benefits and services,” said Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen.
“It’s time to ensure every veteran receives the care they deserve, and President Trump is doing just that,” the Republican senator said.
The VA, led by former Georgia House Rep. Doug Collins, announced the cuts on Feb. 24.
“These moves will not hurt VA health care, benefits or beneficiaries,” said Collins, a Republican. “In fact, veterans are going to notice a change for the better.”
Former employees disagreed.
“I’ve sat with veterans, and they’ve told me about their stories of attempted suicides, and we’ve talked through coping skills and all kinds of things, but without that care, they could easily leave the unit and have that tragedy of committing suicide,” VA recreational therapist Taylor Hernandez in Arizona told AZ Central. “We are part of that care, and taking us away from them is just going to have really negative effects.”
Hernandez argued the cuts would leave Community Living Center, which serves veterans, short-staffed.
Richie Taylor, a spokesman for Mayes, added that veterans themselves have been laid off during DOGE cuts.
“These firings are a betrayal of our veterans, plain and simple,” Mayes said. “I won’t stand by while billionaires in Washington, D.C. rip away vital care from those who served our great nation to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.”
But Petersen, the Arizona Senate president, said efficiency-minded budget cuts is “exactly what an overwhelming number of Arizonans and Americans voted for.
“Arizona’s Attorney General is essentially spitting on the faces of the men and women who selflessly fought for our country by becoming an obstructionist against these positive changes,” Petersen said.
The VA said the $83 million in annual savings would go to benefits, health care and services for veterans, but the VA and DOGE did not discuss specific details. Veteran Affairs promise to discuss the funding further in the coming months.
Attorney General Mayes will host a Community Impact Hearing about DOGE funding cuts at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Central High School gym, 4525 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. The meeting will include Attorneys General Raúl Torrez of New Mexico, Dan Rayfield of Oregon and Keith Ellison of Minnesota.
