Department of Veterans Affairs says 60 DEI employees put on leave

WASHINGTON - The Department of Veterans Affairs announced Monday that it has completed its initial implementation of President Donald Trump’s executive order mandating an end to diversity, equity and inclusion programs within the federal government.

The VA says to date, it has placed nearly 60 employees who had been solely focused on DEI activities on paid administrative leave. 

By the numbers:

They say the combined annual salary of these employees, which includes base pay, locality pay and additional earnings, totals more than $8 million. It's an average of more than $136,000 per employee, per year, and they say one employee was making more than $220,000 per year.

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The VA says they are also working to cancel several contracts for DEI-related trainings, materials and other consulting services. They say the combined value of these contracts totals more than $6.1 million.

They are also removing a variety of DEI-related media from its various digital platforms. 

What they're saying:

"Under President Trump, VA is laser-focused on providing the best possible care and benefits to Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors. We are proud to have abandoned the divisive DEI policies of the past and pivot back to VA’s core mission. We look forward to reallocating the millions of dollars the department was spending on DEI programs and personnel to better serve the men and women who have bravely served our nation," said VA Director of Media Affairs Morgan Ackley.

In the coming weeks and months, the VA says they will be working to reallocate these resources to better support the veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors.