Rally Against VA Staff Cuts: Nurses, Veterans Unite in the Bronx

Nurses and Veterans Rally Against Planned VA Job Cuts

In a move that has sparked significant concern, registered nurses and veterans are set to rally in the Bronx on Thursday, January 8, in response to the Trump administration's decision to slash thousands of positions within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). According to the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU), the VA is planning to eliminate 138 positions in the Bronx and an additional 245 positions spread across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens.

Doug Collins, Secretary of the VA, announced last month that up to 25,000 positions would be cut nationwide. This comes on the heels of a previous reduction of approximately 30,000 positions the prior year, worsening the existing staffing shortages at VA facilities and potentially leading to a decline in the quality of care for veterans.

Sharda Fornnarino, RN and secretary of the VA division for NNOC/NNU, expressed deep concerns, stating, “It is absolutely gut wrenching to see this administration take their axes to the VA and brutally hack away at this world class institution, the only health care system in the country specifically designed to care for veterans and to address their unique needs.” She emphasized the adverse impact on veteran care, predicting longer wait times, reduced access to care, and a shift towards privatization.

Event Details:

What: Rally against VA staffing cuts

When: Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.

Where: James Peters Dept. of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 130 West Kingsbridge Road, Bronx, NY. Rally at the front gate.

The rally will feature several speakers, including Michael Matos from Five Borough Veterans, Kevin Meggett of National Association of Black Veterans (NABVETS), and other notable veterans' advocates and union leaders.

An OIG report released last August highlighted that the VA is facing "severe" staffing shortages, with a 50 percent increase in shortages over one year, including a critical shortage of nurses at 79 percent of VA facilities.

Michael Matos criticized the administration's actions as hypocritical, stating, “The actions taken by the administration and Secretary Collins are not only damning to the veteran community, but comical. Making statements of pride for our community in public, while pulling away our support systems in private is a great example of the hypocrisy of the administration. We’re not an uneducated population. We know this is just another step towards privatization and it ends now.”

Nurses and veterans are urging the Trump administration to reverse these cuts and focus on strengthening the VA. They advocate for the passage of the Protect America’s Workforce Act, which recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives with bipartisan support. This legislation aims to restore collective bargaining rights for VA nurses and other federal workers, rights that were curtailed by executive orders from the Trump administration in 2025.

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