The Department of Veterans Affairs has temporarily suspended billions of dollars in contract cuts after an uproar that critical veterans health services were harmed, lawmakers and veterans service organizations said Wednesday.

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs has temporarily suspended billions of dollars in planned contract cuts following concerns that the move would hurt critical veterans’ health services, lawmakers and veterans service organizations said Wednesday.

The pause affects hundreds of VA contracts, which Secretary Collins described a day earlier as nonessential consulting agreements.

The nation’s leading veterans advocacy groups condemned the purge of workers at the Department of Veterans Affairs and called on President Donald Trump’s administration to reinstate an estimated 6,000 veterans fired across the federal government.

Sensitive financial and health data belonging to millions of veterans is at risk of being stolen or otherwise compromised, a recently fired federal employee who led cybersecurity efforts for VA.gov told the AP.

A cybersecurity expert who until recently led efforts to protect sensitive veterans data on VA.gov warns that sensitive information for millions could be at risk after DOGE suddenly fired him. (AP Vid