AKRON — There was more pushback in Ohio on Tuesday to the Trump Administration's plan to lay off tens of thousands of Veterans Affairs employees. 

What You Need To Know

  • DOGE is planning to cut over 80,000 VA workers to increase efficiency within the Veterans Affairs Agency

  • Democratic Congresswoman Emilia Sykes was at Tuesday's rally to show her opposition to the layoffs and her support for veterans and VA workers

  • Federal workers Darryll Bell and Michael Davis say the uncertainty over who is getting laid off is causing "unnecessary stress" for veterans 

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) says it wants to cut over 80,000 employees from VA clinics across the country to increase efficiency within the Veterans Affairs Agency. 

Veterans, federal workers and elected officials rallied outside of a VA clinic in Akron to voice concerns over pending layoffs to VA workers across the country. It was the latest of several protests across the state of Ohio on the issue. 

“We have the support of the public,” said Darryll Bell, a veteran and the President of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 31. “They recognize how harmful the situation is. They’re standing behind the federal employees and they’re standing behind the veterans.”

The American Federation of Government Employees Local 31 is an organization that represents more than 6,000 federal workers in Ohio. He says that the uncertainty surrounding the looming federal cuts has caused stress for veterans and federal workers like himself. 

“This is a stressful environment placed on federal employees,” Bell said. “To worry about, ‘Am I going to have a job? Is my retirement in jeopardy?’ This is absolutely the worst thing that they could do as far as their treatment of federal employees and especially the treatment of veterans, because some of us are both.”

Michael Davis is an Air Force veteran and a current federal VA worker who understands the need to make the Veterans Affairs Agency more efficient, but does not agree with how efficiency is being sought after. 

“I’m not saying that there’s not a need to trim here and there, but it’s your method that you’re going about the trimming,” Davis said. “We need to be considerate that we’re affecting and dealing with real people. Real people that I’ve taken an oath to serve.” 

The Trump administration believes the federal layoffs are necessary to allow the VA to be better for veterans and their families. 

“We want to reform the department to fix these and other problems. VA is already redirecting billions of dollars from non-mission critical efforts to Veteran-facing services, which will result in massive improvements without cutting health care or benefits,” said Pete Kasperowicz, the press secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs in a statement.

He continues, “America’s veterans deserve better than a health care system that has been at high-risk for ten years running. We have an obligation to make VA work better for the Veterans, families, caregivers and survivors we are charged with serving, and that is exactly what we will do.”

Democratic Congresswoman Emilia Sykes, who represents the 13th congressional district in Ohio, attended Tuesday’s rally and said she strongly opposes the federal layoffs of VA workers.

“There is no waste in veterans care,” Sykes said. “To me, it’s not wasteful to spend our money directly on veterans who have done so much for us.”