“You Deserve Better”: Veterans Demand Respect, Not Cuts
On June 6, 2025—81 years after the D-Day invasion—thousands 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.
With fists raised and signs reading “Respect, Honor, Pay, Veterans” and “VA Support Isn’t a Gift, It’s a Debt,” the Unite for Veterans, Unite for America Rally delivered a clear message to the Trump administration: cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs and federal jobs are a betrayal of those who served.
At the heart of the protest was the Trump administration’s sweeping plan to reshape—and hollow out—the federal government. An internal memo leaked in March revealed that more than 80,000 VA employees could be fired, 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.
Former military and their advocates made that known with passion. Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran who lost both legs in combat, took to the stage and didn’t hold back: “This is a middle finger to our heroes,” she said of Trump’s legislative agenda. Her words were met with a powerful visual: veterans in the crowd collectively raising their own middle fingers in protest. “You deserve better. You’ve earned better,” she declared.
Senator Ruben Gallego, another veteran, emphasized that the crisis has pushed many in the veteran community to a breaking point. “We just tend to suck it up, right? I think this has pushed a lot of veterans to an existential moment.”
Among the speakers and artists present were Dropkick Murphys, the punk rock band long associated with the post-9/11 veteran generation. Their performance, including the pointed anthem “Who’ll Stand With Us?”, turned into a rallying cry for dignity, protection, and solidarity. “This treatment is a crime,” they sang, channeling the frustration and resolve of a generation betrayed by political theatrics.
At Peace Economy Project, we know that militarism doesn’t end at the battlefield. It bleeds into our domestic priorities, where veterans return home to find health care underfunded, job security vanishing, and benefits threatened by austerity disguised as reform.
This rally wasn’t just about veterans—it 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.
As we advocate to move the money from weapons and war to community and care, we stand with veterans demanding real support—not just lip service.
America’s strength has never been in bombs and bureaucracy—it’s in the people who keep showing up for each other.
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