Undaunted

Today, and every day, we honor our Veterans

America’s military veterans deserve the profound gratitude of the American people. When President Joe Biden signed the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act to guarantee veterans medical treatment for illnesses stemming from burn pits, he said, “We can never fully thank you for your service and your sacrifice.” He added, “Less than 1 percent of you risk everything to defend 99 percent of the population.”

Our veterans deserve profound and unceasing support. As Biden put it, “As a nation we have many obligations…and only one truly sacred obligation: to equip those we send into harm’s way and to care for them and their families when they come home.”

But what have they gotten from President in Name Only (PINO) Donald Trump (whose “bone spurs” got him out of military service) and acting president Elon Musk? Rather than keep out commitment to our veterans, the Musk-Trump duo has inflicted disproportionate pain.

As PBS reported, due to the preference in hiring, “nearly 30 percent of federal workers are veterans, half of whom are disabled.” That means that of the 38,000 federal employees Musk-Trump fired, 6,000 are veterans. That is a shameful way to treat those who risked their lives to defend our country and then continued public service in civilian roles.

It gets worse. “Cuts to the federal workforce are also affecting medical care for veterans,” PBS found. “The Veterans Health Administration workforce constitutes 90 percent of the VA’s 482,000 workers, so cuts to VA workers mean cuts to health care.” That means longer wait times, understaffing, and even severe staffing cuts to the veterans’ suicide hotline.

The impact on veterans’ livelihood and health is profound, although some blue states, such as Maryland, are “stepping in to provide job fairs, employment support, and resource guides,” CBS News reports.

No wonder individual veterans and veteran groups are speaking out. In small and large groups, they have turned out to protest in cities such as Jackson, Miss., Akron, Denver, St. Paul, and Washington, D.C. to denounce the Musk-Trump cuts.

The Disabled American Veterans service organization released videos from “nine of the more than 80 veterans—some of them disabled and some from the veterans’ community at large.” These vets are participating in the DAV’s “Protect Veterans” campaign “to showcase the plight of fired veterans, that they were blindsided by their terminations, which have been directed by billionaire Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.”

Meanwhile, VoteVets released an ad focusing on Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) illustrating the shabby treatment vets have received:

VoteVets is focusing on five other veterans, all GOP House members, who have done nothing to reverse this shameful assault on vets. Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa), Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Jennifer Kiggans (R-Va.), and John James (R-Mich.) are all facing ads and billboards denouncing what VoteVets calls their “complicity” in the DOGE scheme.

Nunn, like most other Republicans, is hiding from constituents at townhalls. On Tuesday veteran and Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz showed up in his place to blast Nunn. “There’s a responsibility in this time of chaos where elected officials need to hear what people are irritated about,” Walz said. “And I would argue that Democratic officials should hear the primal scream that’s coming from America, and do something.”

Even right-leaning groups such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars have criticized the “chainsaw” approach to cutting the VA. “Our leaders in Washington, D.C., must ‘Honor the Contract’ we all signed when we joined the military,” VFW said in a written statement. “Making sure veterans care and benefits remain fully funded and appropriately staffed to carry out this critical mission is incredibly important.” They challenged politicians: “We fulfilled our part of the contract we signed, and we expect our elected and appointed leaders to do the same.”

The cruelty-not-cost savings seems to be the point. The most gut-wrenching statement may have come from the Paralyzed Veterans of America:

“Staff cuts for the sake of cuts are unacceptable. We have already seen the consequences of previous arbitrary decisions across the VA and the dire impact they have on veterans.

PVA’s greatest concern is the impact that such a massive reduction could have on the timely delivery of life-saving, life-sustaining health care and benefits earned through honorable service, particularly for our members—veterans with spinal cord injuries or diseases, like ALS and MS. The VA’s SCI/D system of care is unique and specialized in a way unmatched in the private sector. This system must NOT be compromised by any further reduction efforts and all previous reductions impacting the system should be reversed—the lives and well-being of our nation’s veterans are at stake.”

If this assault on our nation’s veterans, their families, and their caregivers does not make your blood boil, I am not sure what will. Every American can call their lawmaker to register their vehement disapproval of these mean-spirited cuts that break our sacred pledge to care for all veterans.

The Contrarian wants to express our gratitude and admiration for all our veterans and the groups that support them, even as we recognize that no words could ever sufficiently impart our appreciation. Nevertheless, we choose to honor them this week (and every week) for remaining Undaunted in times of battle, in times of relative peace—and even in the face of a draft-dodging “president” and his unelected billionaire pal’s deplorable treatment.