On the recordApril 9, 2025
Madam President, let me just say that, at the VA, we recently passed the PACT Act, which added well over a million veterans to the rolls to help care for them after they were exposed to toxic substances. This is not the time to cut the funding for the VA. But I am here today to speak on behalf of all veterans who have been fired by President Trump and Elon Musk. Look, Donald Trump couldn't tell you the meaning of the words ``service'' or ``sacrifice'' if he had a dictionary laying open in front of him. So how dare a coward who cried ``bone spurs,'' when his Nation needed him the most, turn his back on those who, unlike him, were actually brave enough to serve our country in uniform. What he has done to our veterans in just a few months since he has been back in office amounts to a total betrayal. For no apparent reason, he has already fired more veterans than any other American President in modern history, over 6,000 and counting. He has been forcing the bravest people you or I could ever meet to have to worry about how they are going to put food on their family's table next week or keep a roof over their heads next month. The biggest predictor of veterans homelessness is not that they are suffering from post-traumatic stress. It is not substance abuse. It is loss of a job. Homelessness is directly linked to joblessness. These folks that Trump fired, these are folks who did one, two, six, even seven tours.…





