WASHINGTON (WCAX) – Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is calling on the Trump administration to roll back cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

More than 1,000 employees with the Department of Veterans Affairs were laid off last week as part of the president’s efforts to shrink the federal workforce.

In a letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins, Sanders urged him to reverse the layoffs to ensure that veterans will be taken care of.

“There is no way that these layoffs will not negatively impact the veterans of our country in terms of the health care and benefits they receive,” said Sanders, I-Vermont.

He says the layoffs come after a report detailed severe occupational staffing shortages causing delays in veteran care in Vermont and nationally.

The VA says the cuts will save the department more than $98 million a year.