Jonathan Kamens, a former information security lead for the US Department of Veterans Affairs website, has been fired as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to downsize the federal workforce. Kamens claims he was terminated without due process and cites “political considerations” as the reason for his dismissal.
Kamens, who publicly endorsed Kamala Harris for president, had been working remotely for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a special commission tasked with slashing federal spending. He said he was “fairly certain” he was illegally fired due to disloyalty to the administration.
The firings are part of a wave of thousands of terminations across federal agencies, including probationary employees who have worked for less than a year. Many of those receiving termination notices cited executive order establishing the agency as the reason for their dismissal.
USDS had four-year term limits, differing from the probationary statuses seen in other agencies. Kamens said he was deployed to the VA to improve cybersecurity practices and that his termination puts veteran privacy at risk.
The Trump administration claims its layoffs are aimed at making the government more efficient, but Kamens disagrees, saying it’s tearing apart the government’s ability to serve the American people. Massachusetts’ Congressional delegation has been a vocal critic of the administration’s actions, filing a federal lawsuit against the agency.
Source: https://www.bostonherald.com/2025/02/18/boston-man-who-oversaw-va-information-security-swept-up-in-doge-cuts-veteran-privacy-at-risk