According to the Department of Labor, veteran unemployment was 3.7% last month.
The Trump administration hasn’t helped bring that number down. Since Trump took office, mass firings across the federal government have pushed out thousands of veterans who make up nearly a third of the federal workforce.
Despite supporting the administration’s firing of thousands of federal workers across the country, VA Secretary Doug Collins joined Fox & Friends this morning to celebrate “National Hire a Veteran Day” and said, “I think our veterans are some of the best employees that you could hire.”
“The truth is this administration is gutting the very jobs veterans depend on. You don’t get to celebrate Hire a Veteran Day after laying off thousands of them,” said American Bridge 21st Century spokesperson Brandon Weathersby. “This administration has completely betrayed its promises to veterans by gutting the Department of Veterans Affairs, hiring cabinet members who support privatizing Veterans Affairs services, and cutting resources desperately needed by veterans across the country.”
The Trump administration is hurting veterans and service members:
- The Department of Veterans Affairs announced plans to fire as many as 83,000 employees this year, leaving VA employees worried about the future quality of services and care available for veterans.
- VA crisis line employees were fired in early mass layoffs of federal workers.
- VA facilities faced disruptions as workers were fired from their jobs and remaining staff were forced to do more with less. The worker purge caused confusion, anger, and a disruption of services in states across the country, including Washington, Michigan, Nevada, West Virginia, Connecticut, and Wisconsin.
- Republicans have cut funding for critical programs for veterans, including suicide prevention hotlines.
- Trump stiffed the 4,000 California National Guard soldiers he unnecessarily and illegally ordered to escalate tensions in Los Angeles during anti-deportation protests last month.
- Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick to be Secretary of Defense, supported privatizing Veterans Affairs health care and veterans’ pensions. He supported an act that would negatively impact 22 million veterans and would make one-fifth of future veterans ineligible for VA care.
Published: Jul 28, 2025 | Last Modified: Jul 29, 2025