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Military veterans are becoming the face of Trump’s government cuts and Democrats’ resistance
The Associated Press ^ | March 24, 2025 | BY STEPHEN GROVES

Posted on 03/24/2025 5:38:56 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer

WASHINGTON (AP) — As congressional lawmakers scramble to respond to President Donald Trump’s slashing of the federal government, one group is already taking a front and center role: military veterans.

From layoffs at the Department of Veterans Affairs to a Pentagon purge of archives that documented diversity in the military, veterans have been acutely affected by Trump’s actions. And with the Republican president determined to continue slashing the federal government, the burden will only grow on veterans, who make up roughly 30% of the federal workforce and often tap government benefits they earned with their military service.

“At a moment of crisis for all of our veterans, the VA’s system of health care and benefits has been disastrously and disgracefully put on the chopping block by the Trump administration,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the top Democrat on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, at a news conference last week.

Most veterans voted for Trump last year — nearly 6 in 10, according to AP Votecast, a nationwide survey of more than 120,000 voters. Yet congressional Republicans are standing in support of Trump’s goals even as they encounter fierce pushback in their home districts. At a series of town halls this week, veterans angrily confronted Republican members as they defended the cuts made under Trump adviser Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

“Do your job!” Jay Carey, a military veteran, yelled at Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards at a town hall in North Carolina.

“I’m a retired military officer,” an attendee at another forum in Wyoming told Republican Rep. Harriet Hageman before questioning whether DOGE had actually discovered any “fraud.”

(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Connecticut; US: North Carolina
KEYWORDS: americanpravda; ap; associatedpravda; associatedpress; asspress; astroturf; chuckedwards; connecticut; danangdick; demagogicparty; dissociatedpress; dnctalkingpoint; dnctalkingpoints; doge; fakenews; gaslightmedia; jaycarey; journalism; lyingmedialiar; media; mediawingofthednc; northcarolina; partisanmediashill; partisanmediashills; press; presstitutes; richardblumenthal; smearmachine; stephengroves; tds; thegaslightmedia; va; veteransaffairs
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1 posted on 03/24/2025 5:38:56 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

If 6 in 10 voted for President Trump that means 4 in 10 didn’t. I wonder who American Pravda is interviewing here....


2 posted on 03/24/2025 5:41:19 AM PDT by God luvs America (6young 3.5 million pay no income tax and vote for DemoKrats...)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

democrats posing as non-partisan veterans, the AP means.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/veteran-jay-carey-rep-chuck-edwards-town-hall_n_67d4d879e4b08455bb07294e


3 posted on 03/24/2025 5:42:01 AM PDT by Alas Babylon! (Repeal the Patriot Act; Abolish the DHS; reform FBI top to bottom!)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Of course all of the male content veterans voted for Trump. Can you spell phony? Can you spell Astroturf?


4 posted on 03/24/2025 5:43:16 AM PDT by LeonardFMason
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Benefits aren’t being cut. This is the usual “Newt is going to cut Social Security” Democrat shenanigans.


5 posted on 03/24/2025 5:43:44 AM PDT by AppyPappy (If Hitler were alive today and criticized Trump, would he still be Hitler?)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

You can always trot out a few unhappy libs, even if the are Vets.


6 posted on 03/24/2025 5:44:05 AM PDT by rbg81 (=)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

This is all astroturfed BS.

This is the Democrat Party, in conjunction with collaborating Leftists in Media, Education, and Entertainment, pushing the falsity that Republicans who elected Trump are having second thoughts and turning on him.

The way I see it, “Veterans” like this guy who was angry at Republicans in some town meeting, are people who believed in DEI in the military, and as such, negate any respect or default value that would otherwise exist.

But more likely, these are Democrat plants, and there are scads of them.


7 posted on 03/24/2025 5:44:44 AM PDT by rlmorel ("A people that elect corrupt politicians are not victims...but accomplices." George Orwell)
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To: God luvs America

That leaves a LOT of people to interview who don’t like him.

40 percent, even in a hard left state means that a whole lot of enclaves like Trump..so one could conceivably just interview those who like or dislike someone in overwhelming numbers and get the info they want for an article.

Not very dependable.


8 posted on 03/24/2025 5:46:26 AM PDT by dp0622 (Tried a coup, a fake tax story, tramp slander, Russia nonsense, impeachment and a virus. They lost.)
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To: rbg81

And that isn’t always even a given. It isn’t past them to just put a military cap on a guy and have him say he is a veteran. Many of them would willingly do that.


9 posted on 03/24/2025 5:46:48 AM PDT by rlmorel ("A people that elect corrupt politicians are not victims...but accomplices." George Orwell)
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To: rlmorel

Believe it or not I have met some vets that are stupid idiots and bad people. Not all vets should get a golden halo.


10 posted on 03/24/2025 5:48:59 AM PDT by GranTorino (Bloody Lips Save Ships)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Sure, Ass Press.


11 posted on 03/24/2025 5:49:14 AM PDT by Jane Long (Jesus is Lord!)
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To: God luvs America

Clearly Trump and his policies are unpopular and everyone wants the policies of Biden back.

The last election?!?! Doesn’t count. Only elections that the democrats win count. Disgruntled people showing up to a Dem rally? They need a visit from the FBI.

Same ole same ole with the commie legacy media.


12 posted on 03/24/2025 5:49:40 AM PDT by FlipWilson
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

My neighbor Alan is a former Coast Guard officer and Democrat. In his working years he was extremely capable.

We need to cut the bloat in the federal government. Update the resume and make yourself more productive elsewhere.


13 posted on 03/24/2025 5:49:46 AM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: rlmorel

John Kerry would agree. He served in Vietnam.

The VA hospital system is what the democrats want to put on us. Turn it over to Kaiser.


14 posted on 03/24/2025 5:50:04 AM PDT by DIRTYSECRET
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

I guess military veterans are politically convenient for the Dems to use. Once they aren’t anymore, the Dems will go back to destroying the military with Woke indoctrination.


15 posted on 03/24/2025 5:50:28 AM PDT by Opinionated Blowhard (When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.)
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To: Alas Babylon!

Well. That was no Republican. I listened to that, and that was a full-on Leftist, howling at the moon there.

I had no problem at some point in my life about Democrat veterans-they were still Americans and supported the Constitution.

Any veteran who supports the Democrats of today has completely repudiated their oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States that they took when they entered the military. I have no use for them, and in my eyes, they aren’t worth a cup of warm spit, and are no different from the Radicals on the Left who want to defang and eventually destroy the Constitution.

Like this Leftist POS Jay Carey or whatever his real name is. What a disgrace. Can’t even, as a Leftist, explain his views without descending wholly into profanity. That is an accurate indicator of a Leftist in my experience.


16 posted on 03/24/2025 5:53:33 AM PDT by rlmorel ("A people that elect corrupt politicians are not victims...but accomplices." George Orwell)
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To: rlmorel

Yup, that is possible too. As you say, I would not put it past them.


17 posted on 03/24/2025 5:53:39 AM PDT by rbg81 (=)
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To: GranTorino

Exactly. See my post above.


18 posted on 03/24/2025 5:54:05 AM PDT by rlmorel ("A people that elect corrupt politicians are not victims...but accomplices." George Orwell)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

My cousin Mel’s husband was in the US Air Force.

He was moved about every 18 months or so.


19 posted on 03/24/2025 5:54:27 AM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

They bring one failed NC state candidate out to shout at republicans and all the sudden it’s a movement.


20 posted on 03/24/2025 5:54:53 AM PDT by struggle
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