Michigan Veterans Deserve Respect, Not Cuts To The Programs They Need Most

On Saturday, Michigan Families for Fair Care, For Our Future MI and Bee Accepting held a rally on Armed Services Day to defend Michigan veterans from harmful DOGE cuts to the Department of Veteran Affairs. 

The Trump Administration has made clear its intentions to fire tens of thousands of employees from the Department of Veterans Affairs, and it has been following through on its promise. In Michigan alone, nearly 100 people have been let go, and VA medical centers are concerned about the impact this could have on the quality of care. Meanwhile, Congressman Tom Barrett stood alongside Veteran Affairs Secretary Doug Collins as the cabinet member defended these cuts in Michigan.  

“The veterans of Michigan have given everything for their country, and it is beyond disrespectful to reward our hard work with less resources and less access to the health care we need in times of crisis,” said Sean McLaughlin, veteran and MI-07 constituent.   “As someone who served in the U.S. Marine Corps infantry, I know the value of the Department of Veterans Affairs firsthand. Our veterans deserve to have their needs met because this is a matter of life and death, and Rep. Tom Barrett should know better than to stand behind these cuts and ignore the concerns of his constituents. We will make our voices heard and we will let them know that if they come for Michigan’s veterans they are coming for all of us.”