Kaine, Blumenthal, Colleagues Demand Trump Reinstate Illegally Fired Veterans
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), the Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, led a group of 19 senators in a letter calling on President Donald Trump to cease his attack on American veterans in the federal workforce and immediately reinstate all of the estimated 6,000 veterans who were fired under the Administration’s mass terminations of federal employees. The letter also demanded the veterans receive their full benefits and back pay. Veterans make up 30 percent of the federal workforce, with 640,000 veterans working in federal agencies – meaning the Trump Administration’s haphazard efforts to gut the civil service have disproportionately affected veterans.
“We are increasingly concerned by the real-life negative impacts your Administration’s directives are having on our nation’s military and veteran community,” wrote the senators. “This includes the abrupt and indiscriminate termination of more than 30,000 employees across the federal government. Among those fired are veterans, military spouses, caregivers, survivors, and Guard and Reserve members with exemplary performance reviews … These men and women have dedicated their careers to serving veterans and their nation. In return, your Administration has upended their lives and casually discarded their service without any notice or justification – all for a statistic on a press release.”
The senators continued, “Federal civil service has long been a preferred path for military-affiliated populations, allowing them to continue serving our country while offering competitive wages, benefits, and much-needed stability…At DOD, where you have announced the imminent firing of 5,400 employees, with plans to cut anywhere from 35,000 to 56,000 in the near future – the percentage of veterans is nearly 50 percent. And at VA, where veterans are able to do work directly impacting their fellow veterans, the percentage of veteran employees is nearly 30 percent. Each and every day, these veterans perform duties vital to the American people, our national security and our way of life.”
The senators concluded, “Your Administration’s actions are damaging the economic security and morale of our military and veteran families, the federal government’s ability to recruit and retain high-quality talent, and ultimately, our national security. We demand that you cease your attacks on our nation’s heroes, who have already given so much in defense of our country, and immediately reinstate those who have beenjacky ros illegally fired with their full back pay and benefits.”
In addition to Kaine and Blumenthal, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Gary Peters (D-MI), Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), and Richard Durbin (D-IL).
A copy of the letter is available here and below.
Dear President Trump,
We are increasingly concerned by the real-life negative impacts your Administration’s directives are having on our nation’s military and veteran community. This includes the abrupt and indiscriminate termination of more than 30,000 employees across the federal government. Among those fired are veterans, military spouses, caregivers, survivors, and Guard and Reserve members with exemplary performance reviews - including 2,400 employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and thousands of employees at the Department of Defense (DOD). These men and women have dedicated their careers to serving veterans and their nation. In return, your Administration has upended their lives and casually discarded their service without any notice or justification – all for a statistic on a press release.
Federal civil service has long been a preferred path for military-affiliated populations, allowing them to continue serving our country while offering competitive wages, benefits, and much-needed stability. In return, every single agency in our government and every single taxpayer benefits from these experienced, talented, and dedicated employees. Across the federal government, veterans make up approximately 30 percent of the workforce – more than 640,000 veterans. At DOD, where you have announced the imminent firing of 5,400 employees, with plans to cut anywhere from 35,000 to 56,000 in the near future – the percentage of veterans is nearly 50 percent. And at VA, where veterans are able to do work directly impacting their fellow veterans, the percentage of veteran employees is nearly 30 percent. Each and every day, these veterans perform duties vital to the American people, our national security and our way of life.
Rather than leading these employees and utilizing their talents to better serve veterans and taxpayers, you have chosen to fire them in an abrupt, inconsistent, unjustified, and unlawful way with no consultation with Congress and absolutely no transparency or accountability to the American people. Your Administration’s actions are damaging the economic security and morale of our military and veteran families, the federal government’s ability to recruit and retain high-quality talent, and ultimately, our national security. We demand that you cease your attacks on our nation’s heroes, who have already given so much in defense of our country, and immediately reinstate those who have been illegally fired with their full back pay and benefits.
Sincerely,
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