Thousands of U.S. veterans turn to federal jobs after their military service, hoping for stability after years of sacrifice. But under the sweeping workforce cuts led by the Trump administration, many are now being shown the door—without warning and with no safety net.
One of them is Luke Graziani. After serving four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, he thought he had secured a future in federal service. Instead, at 7:04 p.m. on February 13, he received an email that shattered everything.
The Trump Administration’s Workforce Purge
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), spearheaded by billionaire Elon Musk, is carrying out a massive restructuring of the federal workforce. Last week, DOGE ordered the immediate termination of more than 1,000 employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), many of them veterans themselves.
Graziani, a 45-year-old disabled U.S. Army veteran, was one of them. The Bronx VA hospital where he worked as a public affairs officer had given him a one-year probationary period before confirming his position. He had just over a month left before his role would have been secured. Instead, his service ended in a cold, bureaucratic email.
‘I Was Walked Out Like a Criminal’
“The Agency finds, based on your performance, that you have not demonstrated that your further employment would be in the public interest,” the letter read. Without warning, he was locked out of his work email and escorted out of the building.
“There was no exit interview, no discussion of my benefits, no transition plan,” Graziani told Newsweek. “I had to figure out on my own what happens to my accrued leave and my federal retirement plan.”
Despite laws designed to protect veterans in the civil service, Graziani quickly realized that those safeguards didn’t apply to him. He had served his country for 20 years—yet when it came to his federal job, he had no protections at all.
Mass Firings and No Answers
Graziani wasn’t alone. Another VA employee, a 35-year-old Navy veteran, told Newsweek he was blindsided by his termination while on paternity leave. “I don’t even know what my last paycheck looks like,” he said. “I don’t know if I’m getting severance. I don’t know if my vacation time is honored. Nobody has communicated anything.”
The federal government is the largest employer of veterans, with 642,319 former service members working across agencies. The VA alone employs nearly 124,000 veterans. But under DOGE’s cost-cutting measures, many of these veterans are now left scrambling for answers.
Graziani has already appealed his termination to VA Secretary Doug Collins, but whether his plea will be heard remains uncertain. Despite everything, he hasn’t given up on federal service. “This is unprecedented,” he said. “But once this is over, I’ll be looking for another position—if I have to.”
As veterans across the country wake up to similar pink slips, one question remains: After sacrificing so much for their country, who is standing up for them now?
