Chairman Aguilar: Trump’s extreme agenda is hurting veterans
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar joined Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee and Members of the House Democratic Caucus for a hearing on the Trump Administration’s attacks on veterans, their health care and their earned benefits.
CHAIRMAN AGUILAR: Thank you so much. I want to thank our witnesses, our guests. Thank you for your service and your commitment to our country. To my colleagues who have served in uniform and served to protect our country, thank you so much for your continued service to Congress and for your service to our country.
America’s veterans have taken an oath to defend our country and put their lives on the line. The very least we can do is look out for our nation’s veterans when they finish their service. But right now, Donald Trump is crashing our economy. Out of thin air, he’s created an economic disaster. And while reckless tariffs could drive us toward another Republican recession, his plan to take benefits away from hardworking Americans will add to the pain and create more hardship.
In fewer than 100 days of Donald Trump’s presidency, we have seen drastic cuts to the VA and veterans’ benefits. Democrats worked hard to pass the PACT Act and to provide the largest expansion of veterans’ benefits in generations. But there is a concerted effort by Donald Trump to roll back the progress we have made to honor our commitment to veterans. And that is why today’s hearing was so important — shedding a light on the President’s extreme agenda to hurt veterans and their families. It’s an agenda that has laid off more than 6,000 veterans, is making it harder for them to access benefits and care and is undermining the health care system that they rely on. It’s an agenda that is un-American and just plain wrong.
But make no mistake: We are not going to sit by and let Donald Trump get away with these reckless attacks on the VA and the Americans that they serve. We are demanding better. And we are prepared to use every tool at our disposal to fight for veterans who we have earned these benefits today and the millions more veterans across this country who rely on this care. Thank you so much for being here and for your service to our country.
Video of the full hearing can be viewed here.
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