A letter signed by acting Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Todd Hunter told employees the VA is ending all agency diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility offices and all DEIA-related contracts.
The email was sent to all employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs late Wednesday. A copy was forwarded to WHRO.
Hunter’s message is in line with a similar letter sent to all department heads throughout the federal government by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on Tuesday.
The new VA leadership also asks employees to turn in coworkers who may have been reclassified after the November election to hide their involvement in these programs. It provides an email address linked to the OPM and says that people who fail to report coworkers within 10 days will face unnamed consequences.
“These programs divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars, and resulted in shameful discrimination,” Hunter said in the email.
The VA did not return requests seeking comment. The email did not list specific programs or offices that fall under the mandate. The VA has programs geared toward making its facilities more open to female and minority veterans and promote accessibility for disabled veterans. The VA also has a specific hiring preference for veterans.
Former Georgia Rep. Doug Collins, an Iraq War veteran and Air Force Reserve chaplain, has been nominated by President Trump to become VA secretary. During his confirmation hearing Tuesday, he told members of the Senate Veterans Affairs that he will defend VA employees while targeting poor performance.
“VA will not have a stronger fighter for the employees and the workforce than this secretary, if confirmed — and also one that will make sure that we’re held accountable, because good work begets good work, and others need to be held accountable,” Collins said.
