Nearly two dozen Democratic U.S. senators, including Colorado’s John Hickenlooper, demanded that President Donald Trump reinstate veterans who had been fired in the series of layoffs the White House said is meant to root out “waste and bloat” in the federal government. 

In a letter to Trump on Thursday, the Democrats said the Trump administration has so far fired roughly 5,800 veterans, calling the firings illegal. 

“Your Administration’s actions are damaging the economic security and morale of our military and veteran families, the federal government’s ability to recruit and retain high-quality talent, and ultimately, our national security,” they said. “We demand that you cease your attacks on our nation’s heroes, who have already given so much in defense of our country, and immediately reinstate those who have been illegally fired with their full back pay and benefits.”

The senators said veterans make up 50% of the workforce at the Department of Defense and 30% at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Sen. Hickenlooper said in a news release, Colorado is home to more than 400,000 veterans.

“Among those fired,” the senators said, “are veterans, military spouses, caregivers, survivors, and Guard and Reserve members with exemplary performance reviews — including 2,400 employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and thousands of employees at the Department of Defense (DOD). These men and women have dedicated their careers to serving veterans and their nation.”

Trump has tasked the Department of Government Efficiency and his Cabinet with rooting out what the White House described as “waste, bloat and insularity” in the federal bureaucracy. In particular, the White House is targeting positions that perform functions “not mandated by statute or other law,” with specific emphasis on dismantling “diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.”

On its website, DOGE said the country is projected to save $105 billion from the combination of asset sales, contract or lease cancellations and renegotiations, fraud and improper payment deletion, grant cancellations, interest savings, programmatic changes, regulatory savings and workforce reductions.

DOGE said this translates to a savings of around $652 to the average taxpayer.