What? No way. Sure he calls veterans ‘suckers and losers’ and thinks rich people that give him money are better than wounded veterans but what would make anybody think that he would end the department of veterans affairs? Maybe he just wants to start the department of rich donor affairs.
blogasdraugas on
If ending the VA doesn’t start another insurrection, this country is hopeless.
AngusMcTibbins on
Trump has no respect for veterans and only uses them as campaign props. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he tried to end the VA Dept. And he would do it with a weird smirk and a thumbs up, like he did over those soldiers’ graves.
gianni1980 on
Who cares, they are losers anyway, am I right?!
snvoigt on
A second Trump term could mean the end of a lot of things.
LeatherFruitPF on
Gotta offset those corporate tax cuts somehow.
Arrmadillo on
Trump’s Project 2025 plans will hurt veterans and their loved ones.
“Project 2025 proposes that the VA reduce expenses by cutting benefits while funneling a larger fraction of its current budget into the pockets of private contractors. It proposes a personnel policy of replacing the leadership and decision makers with political appointees, while outsourcing core functions and silencing dissent from existing staff. It mixes policies from the current VA strategic plan with a dangerous vein of reduced benefits, corporate plundering, and politicization.”
“**Limit which disabilities qualify veterans for benefits.** The authors of Project 2025 think that too many veterans qualify for disability benefits.
Disability benefits are often critical lifelines for veterans who became disabled as a result of their military service – and can be the difference between a veteran being able to put food on the table or not
Project 2025 proposes to have the U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs cut costs by having fewer health conditions qualify veterans for disability benefits – a proposal could greatly restrict disabled veterans’ access to life-sustaining benefits.
“Both the Democratic and Republican parties also generally demonstrate strong support for veterans and their benefits. However, both parties still debate specific policy implementation and budget allocation. The Republican Party has expressed a preference for moving to a public-private partnership to administer many veterans benefits, while (most of) the Democratic Party favors investing in public infrastructure to meet VA mandates.”
“For the quarter ending March 2024, 80.4 percent of veterans expressed trust in the VA, with 91.8 percent specifically trusting VA health services.”
“However, multiple systematic reviews comparing VA and non-VA health care outcomes show that the VHA generally provides equal or better quality care, particularly regarding mortality rates and in safety, equity, and specific surgical and clinical outcomes.”
“A recent audit by the VA Office of Inspector General concurred and highlighted concerns that increased spending on community care could erode the VA’s direct care system and limit choice for veterans who prefer VA services. It warned that diverting funds from the VA to private care could reduce the quality of direct VA care.”
“Among other recommendations, the plan proposes eliminating concurrent eligibility for both service-related disability benefits and military retirement benefits, which Tucker says would reduce mandatory outlays by at least $160 billion through 2032, and revising the disability rating awards that determine eligibility for benefits and determine monthly disability compensation to reap ‘significant cost savings.’
The plan also proposes to end enrollment in VA medical care for veterans in two low-priority groups to save an estimated $69 billion through 2032 and narrow eligibility for veterans disability by excluding disabilities that cannot be related to military service, which would save an estimated $37.6 billion during that same period.”
“Veterans make up roughly 30% of the federal workforce, with approximately 300,000 veterans currently employed by the federal government.”
“Many of these veterans, including a substantial number who are disabled, find employment in agencies that Project 2025 targets for elimination, such as the FBI and the Justice Department.”
“By suggesting a 50% reduction in federal employees within a year and 75% within four years, Project 2025 is essentially advocating for a skeletal government, unable to perform its fundamental functions.”
“By dismantling key agencies and slashing federal jobs, Project 2025 risks undermining not only government efficiency but also the livelihoods of tens of thousands of veterans. These actions will have far-reaching consequences, weakening the very fabric of our nation’s administrative capabilities, betraying our veterans, and damaging the economy to prove a twisted point. We must ask ourselves what is more important: the livelihoods of our veterans and the health of our economy, or the whims of the few who want to dismantle the government.”
Privatization + lack of proper oversight + Donald Trump as president = the end of the VA
Gokdencircle on
Vance :”Ok good “
newnewtonium on
Considering his disdain and disrespect for veterans both current and past, I’d say this is very likely. He’s going to go after his perceived enemies like a bull out of a gate.
Spotted_Howl on
They would try but some departments just have so much inertia and anf so many connections.
See also: Social Security Administration and ITS.
SupermarketFree1095 on
Dump Trump.
AfterPop0686 on
Yeah but post this in any of the military branch subs and see what kind of response you get.
You can lead these guys to water and they’ll still drink each other’s piss instead.
hskmp on
So they would turn down More of our claims?
dcdttu on
Yes, the Department of Veterans Affairs would go away with the rest of the government. And democracy.
IsThisThingOn69lol on
and the education system and womens rights and like 800 other things that will send us back to the stone ages. I’m disgusted with the people who live here, voting for their own downfall. So fucking stupid.
SlipperyFitzwilliam on
Trump doesn’t get elected without veterans’ votes- so whatever. They deserve what they get.
WayfarinNomAdz on
The last thing this gov wants is a GWOT era bonus type army like under hoover.
txtornado81 on
There’s not going to be a second term for this man now or ever again. All you MAGA fools are dreaming. All he is going to do is ruin the country. He doesn’t no shit on how the government works.
jvn1983 on
I don’t get their wording around disabilities. I have an initial injury and eleventy billion things secondary to that. Are they going to just arbitrarily decide that the very real domino effect doesn’t exist?
Libbrabrabry on
Yeah. It is that bad. If you have military family, make them read this.
If Harris wins this November, I hope to GOD her administration dismantles the Heritage Foundation, or at least makes sure their tax-exempt status is taken away.
Yes-I-Cannabis on
There is a non-zero chance his recent trip to Arlington made him think “Great place for a golf course.”
imadork1970 on
It’s in the R party platform. They want to gut the VA, eliminate Social Security and Medicare.
ioncloud9 on
The generational loss of talent and ability will take decades to fix if it’s even fixable at all.
24 Comments
What? No way. Sure he calls veterans ‘suckers and losers’ and thinks rich people that give him money are better than wounded veterans but what would make anybody think that he would end the department of veterans affairs? Maybe he just wants to start the department of rich donor affairs.
If ending the VA doesn’t start another insurrection, this country is hopeless.
Trump has no respect for veterans and only uses them as campaign props. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he tried to end the VA Dept. And he would do it with a weird smirk and a thumbs up, like he did over those soldiers’ graves.
Who cares, they are losers anyway, am I right?!
A second Trump term could mean the end of a lot of things.
Gotta offset those corporate tax cuts somehow.
Trump’s Project 2025 plans will hurt veterans and their loved ones.
Defeat Project 2025 – [Veterans](https://defeatproject2025.org/issues/veterans/)
“Project 2025 proposes that the VA reduce expenses by cutting benefits while funneling a larger fraction of its current budget into the pockets of private contractors. It proposes a personnel policy of replacing the leadership and decision makers with political appointees, while outsourcing core functions and silencing dissent from existing staff. It mixes policies from the current VA strategic plan with a dangerous vein of reduced benefits, corporate plundering, and politicization.”
Democracy Forward – [The People’s Guide to Project 2025](https://democracyforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024-05_Peoples-Guide-Pro-2025.pdf) (PDF; Page 14)
“**Limit which disabilities qualify veterans for benefits.** The authors of Project 2025 think that too many veterans qualify for disability benefits.
Disability benefits are often critical lifelines for veterans who became disabled as a result of their military service – and can be the difference between a veteran being able to put food on the table or not
Project 2025 proposes to have the U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs cut costs by having fewer health conditions qualify veterans for disability benefits – a proposal could greatly restrict disabled veterans’ access to life-sustaining benefits.
From Mandate for Leadership p. 649-650”
Fulcrum – [Project 2025: The Department of Veterans Affairs](https://thefulcrum.us/governance-legislation/project-2025-veterans)
“Both the Democratic and Republican parties also generally demonstrate strong support for veterans and their benefits. However, both parties still debate specific policy implementation and budget allocation. The Republican Party has expressed a preference for moving to a public-private partnership to administer many veterans benefits, while (most of) the Democratic Party favors investing in public infrastructure to meet VA mandates.”
“For the quarter ending March 2024, 80.4 percent of veterans expressed trust in the VA, with 91.8 percent specifically trusting VA health services.”
“However, multiple systematic reviews comparing VA and non-VA health care outcomes show that the VHA generally provides equal or better quality care, particularly regarding mortality rates and in safety, equity, and specific surgical and clinical outcomes.”
“A recent audit by the VA Office of Inspector General concurred and highlighted concerns that increased spending on community care could erode the VA’s direct care system and limit choice for veterans who prefer VA services. It warned that diverting funds from the VA to private care could reduce the quality of direct VA care.”
Raw Story – [Project 2025 will rob veterans and active duty troops of billions in benefits](https://www.rawstory.com/project-2025-veterans/)
“Among other recommendations, the plan proposes eliminating concurrent eligibility for both service-related disability benefits and military retirement benefits, which Tucker says would reduce mandatory outlays by at least $160 billion through 2032, and revising the disability rating awards that determine eligibility for benefits and determine monthly disability compensation to reap ‘significant cost savings.’
The plan also proposes to end enrollment in VA medical care for veterans in two low-priority groups to save an estimated $69 billion through 2032 and narrow eligibility for veterans disability by excluding disabilities that cannot be related to military service, which would save an estimated $37.6 billion during that same period.”
Government Executive – [Project 2025: The worst-case scenario for veterans](https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2024/07/project-2025-worst-case-scenario-veterans/397874/)
“Veterans make up roughly 30% of the federal workforce, with approximately 300,000 veterans currently employed by the federal government.”
“Many of these veterans, including a substantial number who are disabled, find employment in agencies that Project 2025 targets for elimination, such as the FBI and the Justice Department.”
“By suggesting a 50% reduction in federal employees within a year and 75% within four years, Project 2025 is essentially advocating for a skeletal government, unable to perform its fundamental functions.”
“By dismantling key agencies and slashing federal jobs, Project 2025 risks undermining not only government efficiency but also the livelihoods of tens of thousands of veterans. These actions will have far-reaching consequences, weakening the very fabric of our nation’s administrative capabilities, betraying our veterans, and damaging the economy to prove a twisted point. We must ask ourselves what is more important: the livelihoods of our veterans and the health of our economy, or the whims of the few who want to dismantle the government.”
Military.com – [Republican Project 2025 Takes Dead Aim at Veterans’ Health and Disability Benefits](https://www.military.com/daily-news/opinions/2024/08/12/republican-project-2025-takes-dead-aim-veterans-health-and-disability-benefits.html)
Task & Purpose – [Opinion: Project 2025 would slash veterans’ hard-earned benefits](https://taskandpurpose.com/opinion/opinion-project-2025-slash-benefits/)
Rolling Stone – [Project 2025 Would Be a Disaster for Veterans](https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/trump-project-2025-veterans-1235080922/)
Privatization + lack of proper oversight + Donald Trump as president = the end of the VA
Vance :”Ok good “
Considering his disdain and disrespect for veterans both current and past, I’d say this is very likely. He’s going to go after his perceived enemies like a bull out of a gate.
They would try but some departments just have so much inertia and anf so many connections.
See also: Social Security Administration and ITS.
Dump Trump.
Yeah but post this in any of the military branch subs and see what kind of response you get.
You can lead these guys to water and they’ll still drink each other’s piss instead.
So they would turn down More of our claims?
Yes, the Department of Veterans Affairs would go away with the rest of the government. And democracy.
and the education system and womens rights and like 800 other things that will send us back to the stone ages. I’m disgusted with the people who live here, voting for their own downfall. So fucking stupid.
Trump doesn’t get elected without veterans’ votes- so whatever. They deserve what they get.
The last thing this gov wants is a GWOT era bonus type army like under hoover.
There’s not going to be a second term for this man now or ever again. All you MAGA fools are dreaming. All he is going to do is ruin the country. He doesn’t no shit on how the government works.
I don’t get their wording around disabilities. I have an initial injury and eleventy billion things secondary to that. Are they going to just arbitrarily decide that the very real domino effect doesn’t exist?
Yeah. It is that bad. If you have military family, make them read this.
If Harris wins this November, I hope to GOD her administration dismantles the Heritage Foundation, or at least makes sure their tax-exempt status is taken away.
There is a non-zero chance his recent trip to Arlington made him think “Great place for a golf course.”
It’s in the R party platform. They want to gut the VA, eliminate Social Security and Medicare.
The generational loss of talent and ability will take decades to fix if it’s even fixable at all.