{"id":8138,"date":"2025-06-10T15:31:43","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T20:31:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/?p=8138"},"modified":"2025-06-10T15:31:46","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T20:31:46","slug":"you-deserve-better-veterans-demand-respect-not-cuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/you-deserve-better-veterans-demand-respect-not-cuts\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cYou Deserve Better\u201d: Veterans Demand Respect, Not Cuts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On June 6, 2025\u201481 years after the D-Day invasion\u2014thousands of veterans gathered on the National Mall not to commemorate war, but to resist the new war being waged against public workers, veterans, and the very promise of government accountability<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With fists raised and signs reading \u201cRespect, Honor, Pay, Veterans\u201d and \u201cVA Support Isn\u2019t a Gift, It\u2019s a Debt,\u201d the Unite for Veterans<\/a>, Unite for America Rally<\/a><\/strong> delivered a clear message to the Trump administration: cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs and federal jobs are a betrayal<\/a><\/strong> of those who served.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the heart of the protest was the Trump administration\u2019s sweeping plan to reshape\u2014and hollow out\u2014the federal government. An internal memo leaked in March revealed that more than 80,000 VA employees could be fired<\/a><\/strong>, with thousands of veterans already having lost federal jobs since Trump returned to office. For the veteran community, which makes up a significant percentage of the federal workforce, these cuts represent not just economic loss, but a moral one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Former military and their advocates made that known with passion. Senator Tammy Duckworth<\/a><\/strong>, an Iraq War veteran who lost both legs in combat, took to the stage and didn\u2019t hold back: \u201cThis is a middle finger to our heroes,\u201d<\/em> she said of Trump\u2019s legislative agenda. Her words were met with a powerful visual: veterans in the crowd collectively raising their own middle fingers in protest. \u201cYou deserve better. You\u2019ve earned better,\u201d<\/em> she declared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senator Ruben Gallego<\/a><\/strong>, another veteran, emphasized that the crisis has pushed many in the veteran community to a breaking point. \u201cWe just tend to suck it up, right? I think this has pushed a lot of veterans to an existential moment.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the speakers and artists present were Dropkick Murphys<\/a><\/strong>, the punk rock band long associated with the post-9\/11 veteran generation. Their performance, including the pointed anthem \u201cWho\u2019ll Stand With Us?\u201d<\/em>, turned into a rallying cry for dignity, protection, and solidarity. \u201cThis treatment is a crime,\u201d<\/em> they sang, channeling the frustration and resolve of a generation betrayed by political theatrics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Peace Economy Project, we know that militarism doesn\u2019t end at the battlefield. It bleeds into our domestic priorities, where veterans return home to find health care underfunded<\/a>, job security vanishing<\/a>, and benefits threatened by austerity disguised as reform<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This rally wasn\u2019t just about veterans\u2014it was about what kind of country we want to be. Do we honor service with security, or with slogans? Do we support public servants, or sacrifice them to tax cuts for the wealthy? These are the questions at the heart of this moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we advocate to move the money from weapons and war to community and care, we stand with veterans demanding real support\u2014not just lip service.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

America\u2019s strength has never been in bombs and bureaucracy\u2014it\u2019s in the people<\/a><\/strong> who keep showing up for each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

To support our ongoing work advocating for a peace-based economy and veterans\u2019 dignity, donate here<\/a> or join our newsletter link<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On June 6, 2025, thousands of veterans gathered in DC to protest government layoffs. An internal memo revealed that about 80,000 VA employees could be fired.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8139,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8],"tags":[421,420,286,422,419],"class_list":["post-8138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-federal-budget","tag-protests","tag-public-services","tag-va","tag-veterans"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/sydney-rae-4GN3kBR7IMY-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8138"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8138\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8140,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8138\/revisions\/8140"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}