Veterans Say: No Cuts to Veteran Healthcare. Proposed 30k Layoffs Are Still Unacceptable

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Common Defense, a national organization of veterans and military families, is outraged as the Trump regime and Secretary Collins announced renewed plans to fire 30,000 VA workers by the end of the year. While this is a drastic reduction from their original goal of cutting 83,000 VA employees, it will still have devastating consequences for the millions of veterans across the country who rely on VA care and services. After months of organizing and countless veterans making their voices heard through our VA: Not For Sale Campaign, it is clear that the pressure from thousands upon thousands of veterans who feel betrayed by Trump and Secretary Collins is being felt. Which is exactly why we cannot let up now. It is a win to have the Trump regime back down from 83,000 cuts to 30,000 but victory will be ensuring they cut zero of the jobs our veterans and their families need.

In response to this, Jose Vasquez, ED of Common Defense had this to say: 

“While 30,000 jobs is a reduction from the Trump Administration’s original plans to reduce the VA’s workforce by 15%, it is still 30,000 jobs too many at an agency that has been historically understaffed and undervalued by presidents across parties. Cuts to 30,000 jobs means more veterans like me, who rely on the VA to get lifesaving medical care, won’t be able to receive it. 

“Trump has never served this country. The Trump Administration has no business making decisions affecting the healthcare, benefits, and jobs of working veterans and their families. He’s using our taxpayer money to strip benefits from those who fought for our country to pay for tax breaks for his billionaire donors. It’s outrageous.”

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Common Defense Civic Engagement is a grassroots, veteran-led organization (501c4) that was founded in 2016. We empower veterans to stand up for our communities against the rising tide of racism, hate, and violence, to organize against the entrenched powers that have rigged our economy, and to champion an equitable and representative democracy, where “liberty and justice” truly is for all. For too long, politicians from both political parties have attempted to use veterans as unwilling political props, and Common Defense serves as a home for veterans to organize and speak for themselves and support the candidates who truly share our values.