Richmond VA hospital forced to take back job offers after federal hiring freeze, lawmakers raise alarm
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — State and federal lawmakers are calling on President Donald Trump to make changes to a recent order to freeze federal hiring to ensure adequate care for veterans and their families. On Monday, Jan. 20, President Donald Trump issued an order placing a freeze on the hiring of Federal employees. The order states that any position that is vacant after Jan. 20 at noon, should not be filled. This order directly impacted hiring for Richmond VA Medical Center and other veteran facilities across the country. Richmond VA Medical Center (Courtesy of 8News - Rolynn Wilson) 8News spoke with Democratic Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan, who spoke with officials at Richmond VA Medical Center. They confirmed the facility was forced to rescind several job offers following the freeze. “There's a wide variety of chaos right now that is causing concern among seniors, children, everybody," said McClellan. The freeze originally applied to all hospital staff but after push back from lawmakers and veteran advocates, an exemption was issued to continue hiring for medical personnel. This exemption does not include other hospital positions like housekeeping and food services. Richmond VA Medical Center (Courtesy of 8News - Rolynn Wilson) “You can't do surgery, if you don't have sterilized equipment and a clean space to do it. Patients need to eat. They have care coordination," said McClellan. Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, shared his concerns on the matter on Tuesday as well saying the freeze will impact hiring for the veterans benefits administration. He says the decision "will dramatically impact the processing of disability claims, growing the backlog and making it more difficult for veterans to access their earned benefits." Democratic lawmakers recently sent a letter to the Trump administration asking the president to revoke or revise the order to ensure adequate care for veterans and their families. Republican Congressman Rob Wittman sent the following statement to 8News, saying “Virginians in the federal workforce are dedicated public servants, and I thank them for their service. It’s understandable for a new president to temporarily freeze federal hiring to reassess processes and thoroughly vet applicants -- I am hopeful it will only be a brief pause. Importantly, critical roles at the Richmond VA were exempt, including healthcare professionals and law enforcement.” Congresswoman McClellan is asking those impacted to reach out to her office via email or phone at (804) 486-1840.
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RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — State and federal lawmakers are calling on President Donald Trump to make changes to a recent order to freeze federal hiring to ensure adequate care for veterans and their families.
On Monday, Jan. 20, President Donald Trump issued an order placing a freeze on the hiring of Federal employees. The order states that any position that is vacant after Jan. 20 at noon, should not be filled.
This order directly impacted hiring for Richmond VA Medical Center and other veteran facilities across the country.
8News spoke with Democratic Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan, who spoke with officials at Richmond VA Medical Center. They confirmed the facility was forced to rescind several job offers following the freeze.
“There's a wide variety of chaos right now that is causing concern among seniors, children, everybody," said McClellan.
The freeze originally applied to all hospital staff but after push back from lawmakers and veteran advocates, an exemption was issued to continue hiring for medical personnel. This exemption does not include other hospital positions like housekeeping and food services.
Richmond VA Medical Center (Courtesy of 8News - Rolynn Wilson)
“You can't do surgery, if you don't have sterilized equipment and a clean space to do it. Patients need to eat. They have care coordination," said McClellan.
Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, shared his concerns on the matter on Tuesday as well saying the freeze will impact hiring for the veterans benefits administration. He says the decision "will dramatically impact the processing of disability claims, growing the backlog and making it more difficult for veterans to access their earned benefits."
Democratic lawmakers recently sent a letter to the Trump administration asking the president to revoke or revise the order to ensure adequate care for veterans and their families.
Republican Congressman Rob Wittman sent the following statement to 8News, saying “Virginians in the federal workforce are dedicated public servants, and I thank them for their service. It’s understandable for a new president to temporarily freeze federal hiring to reassess processes and thoroughly vet applicants -- I am hopeful it will only be a brief pause. Importantly, critical roles at the Richmond VA were exempt, including healthcare professionals and law enforcement.”
Congresswoman McClellan is asking those impacted to reach out to her office via email or phone at (804) 486-1840.
