Van Orden threatens to report employee to DOGE

Mary Spicuzza

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

USA TODAY NETWORK – WISCONSIN

Wisconsin Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden threatened a former Veterans Affairs employee over the weekend, saying he would 'be referring' him to the Department of Government Efficiency after he questioned the mass firings of federal workers.

But the man, a disabled veteran named Jesus 'Tony' Ruiz, had already lost his job at the Los Angeles VA in early February .

Ruiz is one of the thousands of probationary employees at federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, who have been fired in recent weeks as President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest man and the head of DOGE, slash the size of the federal workforce .

Ruiz said he sent Van Orden a LinkedIn message on Monday, Feb. 10, a week after he was laid off, urging him to help stop the firings.

Van Orden replied Saturday morning, seemingly unaware Ruiz was no longer working at the VA.

'I will be referring you to DOGE as it seems that at 13:46 on a Monday you should have been working for veterans, not posting trash about your boss, President Trump,' Van Orden wrote in his LinkedIn message, which was shared with the Journal Sentinel. 'There needs to be accountability. Now. Have a great day.'

In his reply, Van Orden also noted that he is 'a member of Congress on the VA Committee.'

Van Orden declined an interview request from the Journal Sentinel. His office instead sent a statement that mentioned backlogs at the VA currently, including in Los Angeles, adding that the backlogs show 'why VA employees should be processing claims at work instead of spending time on social media.'

The statement did not acknowledge that Ruiz had already been laid off when he messaged Van Orden, or that the congressman had threatened to report him to DOGE, apparently to have him fired.

Ruiz, 47, said he was fired on Feb. 3, within a week of his yearlong probationary period ending. A veteran service representative, Ruiz had worked to help other veterans with their claims, such as getting a medical procedure approved or adding a spouse to their policy. He said he often handled up to 60 claims a day.

'Literally a week before I got my full-time tenure,' he said.

Ruiz had just won an 'employee of the quarter' award last year and received a $1,000 bonus for his work. A photograph taken when he was honored shows him standing with VA Under Secretary Joshua Jacobs, who presented him with the award.

When he was fired in early February, he said he was told it was for 'performance.'

'Your failure to the Veterans Administration,' he remembered. 'You’re not a good fit for the U.S. government, to the veterans. We’re letting you go today.'

Ruiz said he later learned one of the people on the call to fire him worked for DOGE.

Early this week, Ruiz traveled to Washington, D.C. He spent much of the day Tuesday meeting with lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Adam Schiff.

On Tuesday night, he joined other federal workers fired from the VA to attend Trump’s speech.

And Ruiz said he was trying to meet with Van Orden before leaving D.C.

As for his future, Ruiz said he is thinking of moving to Wisconsin and running for office.

Ruiz said he’d like 'to run against Van Orden, and take his spot.'