VA IT nominee confirms 1,300 staff departures, declines restoration pledge

Gary Shatswell, nominated to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs' Office of Information and Technology, acknowledged Wednesday that IT employees had departed the VA since the administration took office, though he did not confirm the specific number cited by senators.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told Shatswell during a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee confirmation hearing that the VA had lost 1,300 IT employees since the administration took office. Shatswell joined the VA as senior advisor to Secretary Douglas Collins on December 1, 2025. He said he was aware some employees had exited but that the departures happened before he arrived. He was not privy to individual job skills or staffing details.

Blumenthal asked whether Shatswell would commit to restoring skilled IT staff. Shatswell did not directly answer. He said he believed there was room to bring in young college graduates to build skill levels within VA IT. When Shatswell said he was not aware of any IT employees leaving since his December arrival, Blumenthal challenged the claim, asking, "And you're saying no IT employees have left in the last seven months?"

Blumenthal responded that he would have welcomed a commitment to restore the lost skilled staff. He said the OIT function cannot be improved without it.

The hearing also considered Michael Tierney's nomination for assistant secretary for accountability and whistleblower protection. Committee Chair Jerry Moran, R-Kan., asked Shatswell to commit to providing quarterly briefings on OIT trends, workforce changes, cybersecurity threats, and modernization projects. Shatswell agreed and said he hoped briefings would be more frequent than quarterly.

The committee did not vote on either nomination Wednesday.