The VA – in concert with Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – will "identify and eliminate waste, reduce management and bureaucracy, reduce footprint, and increase workforce efficiency," the memo says.

"A portion of the savings garnered will be reinvested in the veterans we serve and the systems required to support our workforce and execute our mission," it says.

The initial aim is to return staffing at the VA – which is responsible for providing benefits including health care, education and disability pay to veterans – to 2019 numbers of 399,957 employees, according to the memo.

Politicians Marco Rubio gets flustered playing defense for Trump's contentious Zelensky meeting

The VA said in early February it employed more than 479,000 people, meaning about 80,000 jobs will be cut under the plan.

Since his return to the White House in January, Trump has launched a vast offensive aimed at slashing public spending and reducing the federal bureaucracy, one of the goals he promised on the campaign trail.

To that end, he tapped billionaire Musk, his top campaign donor turned close adviser, to lead DOGE, which has cut thousands of government jobs and upended agencies.

Among his first targets were members of the federal bureaucracy overseeing policies that promote diversity.

His administration has also dismantled the US Agency for International Development (USAID), ending many humanitarian and international development projects around the globe.

And a source with knowledge of the situation told AFP on Tuesday that the Internal Revenue Service – responsible for collecting US federal taxes – is considering letting go up to half of its approximately 90,000 employees.