The White House on Tuesday said the thousands of military veterans laid off as part of government downsizing were perhaps “not fit” to have a job.

“We have a fiscal responsibility to use taxpayer dollars to pay people that actually work. That doesn’t mean we forget our veterans by any means. We are going to care for them in the right way, but perhaps they’re not fit to have a job at this moment or not willing to come to work,” White House counselor Alina Habba told reporters.

She said the duty of taxpayers comes first.

“I wouldn’t take money from you and pay somebody and say, ‘Sorry, you know they’re not going to come to work.’ It’s just not acceptable,” Ms. Habba said.

Although Mr. Trump has ordered federal workers to return to work, it is unclear how many, if any, veterans have been fired for refusing to return in-person.

Roughly 6,000 veterans have been fired across the federal government since the start of President Trump’s second term, according to data released this week by Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee.

House Democrats last week introduced a bill that would require any veterans terminated without reason from the federal government since the start of the second Trump administration to be reinstated. It would also require federal agencies to submit reports to Congress on veteran firings and provide justifications for their actions.

Rep. Derek Tran, California Democrat, an Army veteran and former employment lawyer, introduced the bill. The bill is unlikely to gain much traction in the Republican-controlled House.

Traditionally, the federal government has encouraged veterans to work at departments once they leave the military. President Obama launched the Veterans Employment Initiative to boost veteran recruitment and retain them in the federal government. Military training and education are often highly sought after because of the skills troops learn during their service.