The Veterans Affairs healthcare system in Maine says none of its employees are being removed, amidst reports that tens of thousands of positions are being cut nationwide.
The Washington Post first reported that 35,000 positions, most of which are vacant, will be eliminated.
A spokesperson for VA Maine says no services in the state are being reduced or removed, and that all medical facilities will continue to fill vacancies as needed.
But Maine Independent Senator Angus King accused the Trump administration of cutting back rather than stepping up for veterans. "An unfilled job is not an unnecessary job," King said in a written statement, "especially when the VA Inspector General’s office found a severe nationwide staff shortage earlier this year."
