Kansas
VA plans to cut 83,000 jobs but won’t say how many have been let go in Kansas
Leaked memo says Veterans Affairs to lay off more than 76,000
Department of Veterans Affairs leadership was told that mass layoffs were coming in a leaked memo.
The Veterans Affairs Eastern Kansas Health Care System won’t confirm the scale of layoffs at its two facilities, but more could come after a leaked memo from the Trump administration called its national workforce to be reduced by 83,000.
The administration announced it dismissed 2,400 employees nationwide since Feb. 13. The dismissals were among probationary employees who had served less than a year in their current role in “non-mission critical” roles.
The Topeka Capital-Journal asked the East Kansas VA how many employees had been terminated on Feb. 25. On March 5, the administration said some employees were let go in the state but didn’t share how many, their roles or from what sub-branch of the VA the employees worked for.
“The Veterans Affairs facilities in the state of Kansas have dismissed a small number of probationary staff statewide. This decision will have no negative effect on Veteran health care, benefits or other services and will allow VA to focus more effectively on its core mission of serving Veterans, families, caregivers and survivors. We cannot discuss specific personnel matters due to privacy concerns,” a VA spokesperson said.
VA East Kansas director A. Rudy Klopfer told to a group of employees said that two Veterans Health Administration workers were fired in east Kansas, though it’s unclear if they worked at VA facilities in Topeka or Leavenworth. But more people may have been laid off at both campuses that worked for the two other sub-branches of the VA, the Veterans Benefits Administration and the National Cemetery Administration, which usually have fewer employment protections than the Veterans Health Administration.
Reduction in Force Memo
A memo sent from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) was sent to heads of executive departments and agencies across the U.S. last week directing them to make plans to reduce their workforces.
“The federal government is costly, inefficient, and deeply in debt. At the same time, it is not producing results for the American public. Instead, tax dollars are being siphoned off to fund unproductive and unnecessary programs that benefit radical interest groups while hurting hardworking American citizens,” the memo states.
The plans are due on March 13, and should include ways to increase productivity, reduce property footprints, shrink budget toplines and significantly reduce the number of full-time employees. The memo does say that agencies that provide direct services to citizens, like the VA, shall not implement any plans until it is reviewed by OMB and OPM.
“The OMB/OPM memo explicitly statesthat any RIF/reorganization plans should not move ahead until OMB and OPM ensure these plans have a ‘positive effect’ on the delivery of Veterans’ health care. VA is working on its plan now. VA intends to be transparent with Veterans, family members, caregivers and survivors as this process unfolds,” a VA spokesperson said.
In a virtual meeting shared with The Capital-Journal, Dominique Henderson, assistant director of the East Kansas HCS, told employees the protection isn’t as strong as other entities that are excluded from the reduction-in-force memo like the Postal Service or executive branch.
“That is just basically stating that before the agency would implement any kind of RIF plan, OMB and OPM would have to approve it. That is not stating that it is up there with executive office, the Postal Service, border security as an exclusion entity,” Henderson said.
Otherwise, little had been shared by VHA employees about its reduction-in-force plan at the time of the meeting on Feb. 28.
“We certainly have put those questions forward to the leadership above us,” Henderson told employees. “I wish we had certainly more information to communicate, but we do not at this time.”
Union not responding to requests for comment
Several attempts over a week to reach the American Federation of Government Workers 906, which represents VA employees in Topeka, hasn’t yielded a response. Nationally, the AFGE has repeatedly condemned the mass layoffs of probationary employees and challenged them in court.
“Longer waits at VA hospitals, fewer inspectors ensuring the safety of our meats and produce, less research into cures for debilitating and deadly diseases, more risks for air travelers, longer waits for Social Security enrollment and passports, and the list goes on,” said AFGE President Everett Kelley.
At the union’s office in Topeka, a flier advises employees how they should respond to recent federal actions. On the federal hiring freeze, it told employees that most employees with the Veterans Health Administration, the sub-branch of the VA that implements health care programs, are exempt from the freeze.
It didn’t say the same for employees at the Veterans Benefits Administration or the National Cemetery Administration, the other two sub-branches of the VA, and warns of negative consequences to the freeze.
“We know the hiring freeze will negatively impact the delivery of health care and benefits to veterans and their families. With less staff to meet the day-to-day demands of the nation’s largest health care system, it will also negatively impact employee morale and may cause patient and employee safety issues,” the flier says.
In response to an executive order demanding agencies return to in-person work, the union said the order is in conflict with collective bargaining agreements. The memo was directed at non-bargaining employees, but made clear that a “phased implementation plan” for bargaining-unit employees is forthcoming.
It also called the deferred resignations, where employees were offered a couple months salary if they resign, a “bait and switch effort to pressure federal workers to resign in exchange for an unenforceable promise of continued employment.”
VA directed to cut more staff
The Department of Veterans Affairs is planning to cut more than 80,000 staffers, according to a memo obtained by the Associated Press. Its goal is to return staffing levels to 2019, before expansion from the Biden administration and increased coverage under the 2022 PACT Act, which covers veterans impacted by toxic chemical exposure.
Last year, the VA reached its highest-ever service levels.
At a presentation to U.S. senators and representatives, Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, said he’s committed to preserving the VA workforce. He also said it’d be “useful” to have an inspector general tasked with finding inefficiencies and unlawful practices working at the VA.
Last month, the VA’s IG was removed from office, one of 17 independent inspector generals dismissed under orders from the Trump administration.
“As the VA implements new federal workforce guidance and we work together to root out any waste, I am committed to making certain that the VA Workforce is preserved,” Moran said. “In that regard it would be useful to retain the inspector general to help congress better inform our decisions.
“The VA must be forthcoming with congress, (Veteran Service Organizations) and the public about how it’s implementing workforce, contract and other changes. The VA must also work to avoid or correct actions that could in any way undermine access to care and benefits that veterans and their loved ones rely on.”
KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne reports on stories in Overland Park, Johnson County and topics about government accountability. Share your story idea with Isabella.
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Saturday marks the final FIFA World Cup 26 match in Kansas City with Argentina set to meet Switzerland on the pitch at Kansas City Stadium.
Kansas City to reduce bus transit frequency, extended hours after World Cup
Public transportation received a big boost during the World Cup.
Johnson County launched JOCO United, and according to leaders, the airport drop and ride service that was implemented for the tournament will stick around.
“It has been very smooth every time,” Johnson County resident Mariah Wickham said. “I’ve been up and down so many times.”
Kansas City, Missouri, also bumped up its transit options, but not all of the those will be sticking around once the final whistle blows.
Tens of thousands of people have been using the airport link, streetcar and the buses to get around Kansas City. The city poured millions of dollars into building up its public transit infrastructure. The KCATA added more frequency to bus transit lines and the streetcar, pushing more fans to use public transportation during the tournament.
Brian Luton
“With the World Cup here, I was able to exercise using the streetcar more frequently and that was really fun,” Trish Luancing said. “It wold be nice to not have to drive everywhere and not have to worry about parking.”
But thousands have been relying on public transit for years, regardless of what event was in town.
“It’s been busier since the World Cup,” Jeffrice Jackson, a bus rider, said. “It’s been smooth sailing.”
The KCATA added streetcar ‘bus bridge’ links, extended bus service hours and increased frequency on East-West routes to link riders to the streetcar. It’s benefited both travelers and commuters.
Brian Luton
“[Service] has been more consistent with the World Cup than it was previously,” Jerry Breault, a rider said. “We were missing buses or routes because there weren’t enough drivers to drive that route.”
But the add-on’s stop on Sunday, July 12. If the transit authority can’t find more money, more than a dozen routes will be cut, potentially impacting more than 8,000 riders.
“It’s a little frustrating,” Breault said. “A lot of us rely on it just to get back and forth to work, to take care of our daily needs. It looks like we may be having to find alternatives and we’re not very happy about that.”
The KCATA will potentially suspend these weekday and weekend routes by September:
Weekday Route Eliminations:
- 9 – 9th Street, 365 average weekday ridership
- 21 – Cleveland Antioch, 512 average weekday ridership
- 23 – 23rd Street, 266 average weekday ridership
- 25 – Troost Local, 1,460 average weekday ridership
- 27 – 27th Street, 422 average weekday ridership
- 57 – Wornall, 411 average weekday ridership
- 71 – Prospect Local, 464 average weekday ridership
Weekend Route Eliminations:
- 9 – 9th Street, 349 average weekend ridership
- 21 – Cleveland Antioch, 312 average weekend ridership
- 23 – 23rd Street, 312 average weekend ridership
- 25 – Troost Local, 1,431 average weekend ridership
- 27 – 27th Street, 455 average weekend ridership
- 57 – Wornall, 595 average weekend ridership
- 71 – Prospect Local, 982 average weekend ridership
Bus fares came back earlier this summer to offset some of the operation costs, but many have reported issues with the free fare cards and eligibility.
“There’s always funding challenges with the KCATA,” Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas said. “How are the fare re-institutions working right now?”
Brian Luton
Mayor Lucas told KSHB 41 News Reporter Isabella Ledonne the transit improvements implemented for the World Cup “should continue,” and there are plans to talk with the KCATA commissioners to “make it work”.
“KCATA cannot just be Kansas City supported alone forever,” Mayor Lucas said. “Our approach and our preference is that the region got to see how much they would like [expanded service] during the World Cup. It was always intentional that if they liked it, maybe they would invest and maybe they would want this thing to go further.”
That’s good news to the thousands of daily riders.
Brian Luton
“I think it’s good because it helps people get around if they need to get around,” Jackson said.
The KCATA did not make themselves available for an interview.
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One of the top prospects in the 2027 boys’ high school basketball recruiting class recently trimmed his list of suitors, and the Kansas Jayhawks find themselves firmly in the mix.
KU is one of eight schools to make the cut for 2027 five-star small forward Demarcus Henry, according to On3 National Basketball Reporter Joe Tipton. His list of eight includes some of the best programs in the country: Kansas, Ohio State, Kentucky, North Carolina, BYU, Arkansas, UConn, and Louisville.
The 6-foot-7 Charlotte, North Carolina, native is one of the best players in the 2027 class. He’s currently ranked as the No. 5 player overall and the No. 1 player at his position, according to the most recent On3.com 2027 player rankings.
As a junior this past year at Compass Prep High School in Chandler, Arizona, Henry averaged 15.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game as he helped lead his team to a 25-3 record.
He followed that up with an impressive performance at the NBPA Top 100 camp this summer, leading all attendees in scoring (20.0 points per game) and rebounding (9.3 rebounds per game). He was also a member of the 2026 USA Men’s U18 National Team that earned a silver medal at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup earlier this summer in León, Mexico.
When speaking about his game, Henry mentions his versatility and how he’s developed over the past year.
“I’m just very versatile,” Henry told Rivals in a previous interview. “I can play one through four and just help my teammates and hit shots and play defense. I watch a lot of KD (Kevin Durant) and Paul George. How they score it, and how they could shoot off the dribble, shoot off the catch. I’ve gotten tougher and just more aggressive when I transferred AZ Compass and just being able to get downhill, I feel like that’s really developed for me.”
When asked about what he’s looking for in a potential home at the college level, Henry says he wants to be challenged and grow his game for the NBA.
“What I’m looking for in school is someone that just pushes me to be better,” Henry said. “Help me grow into the person I know I can be and someone who will help me reach my potential. I want to play for a coach that will hold me accountable and help me make me uncomfortable and keep growing and keep getting better and just help me reach the NBA, which is my ultimate goal.”
Early Contenders
Right now the early favorite to land Henry may be the basketball program with the least amount of notoriety of the final eight schools – and that is Ohio State.
Henry has a lot of familial ties to the university as his older brother Chris Henry Jr. is a five-star incoming freshman wide receiver for the Buckeyes football team this year, and his older sister Seini Henry is a talented women’s basketball player at Ohio State.
He’s already taken an unofficial visit to the school and has also taken an unofficial visit to BYU. Thus far, they are the only schools to have received a visit.
Follow
The Royals have been linked to shortstop Jacob Lombard out of Gulliver Prep (Fla.) — if he makes it that far — left-hander Gio Rojas out of Stoneman Douglas (Fla.) HS, outfielder Eric Booth Jr. out of Oak Grove (Fla.) HS, UC Santa Barbara right-hander Jackson Flora and Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress, among others. Maybe they shake up the board and go with Huntington Beach (Calif.) HS left-hander/outfielder Jacob Grindlinger, who is just 17 years old after reclassifying for this year’s Draft and has legitimate upside as a two-way player. Grindlinger is No. 16 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 250 Draft prospects list and is rising on boards as Draft day nears.
Prep players usually mean a lot of upside but with more risk, while college players bring a higher floor and more experience — often with a chance to move quickly. Over the full Draft, the Royals are going to value both.
“There’s a good mix of high school and college,” Bridges said. “To tell you the truth, our range is pretty broad. There’s a clear-cut four players, five players in this Draft, and then believe it or not, where we’re picking, you can go a number of different directions. So we have a pretty good balance of what we’re looking at, both high school and college.”
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