On the heels of Donald Trump’s senior advisor and long-time lawyer attacking veterans as “not fit” to serve in his administration, Trump is now cutting 80,000 employees from Veterans Affairs. Rather than help the very people who have risked their lives for this country, Trump continues to leave them out in the cold, slashing veterans’ access to health care and creating delays.

Let’s be clear: Trump’s dangerous and reckless agenda of mass firings is putting over 9 million veterans’ hard-earned benefits on the line.

Here’s a look at Trump’s latest actions attacking veterans and their hard-earned benefits:

Associated Press: “Trump administration plans to cut 80,000 employees from Veterans Affairs, according to internal memo”

“The Department of Veterans Affairs is planning a reorganization that includes cutting over 80,000 jobs from the sprawling agency that provides health care for retired military members, according to an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press. … 

“That would require terminating tens of thousands of employees after the VA expanded during the Biden administration, as well as to cover veterans impacted by burn pits under the 2022 PACT Act. … 

“Veterans have already been speaking out against the cuts at the VA, which so far had included a few thousand employees and hundreds of contracts. More than 25% of the VA’s workforce are veterans themselves.” 

Reporter: “Is the President starting to think about some of those veterans who worked for the federal government and what the administration can do to help salvage their lives?” … 

Alina Habba: “Perhaps they’re not fit to have a job at this moment.”

Washington Examiner: “VA layoffs spark concerns about veterans’ care: ‘This could be life or death’”

“As the number of claims filed under the PACT Act continues to grow … ‘[t]he cuts to the Veteran Crisis Line and other support services suggest that veterans seeking assistance may encounter longer wait times and diminished service quality.’ … 

“The former staff staff sergeant [Andrew Lennox] worries the cuts could lead to a reduction in the quality of care for veterans. …

“[M]any of the calls [the VA has] already receive[d] from distressed veterans have to do with roadblocks regarding receiving their benefits.” 

Associated Press: “More than 9 million veterans get physical and mental health care from the VA … 

“The VA manages a $350 billion-plus budget and oversees nearly 200 medical centers and hospitals, many in Republican-led states and districts. Veterans have shown up at town hall-style meetings to voice their anger, and groups like the Veterans of Foreign Wars are mobilizing against cuts.”