Cappelli: The Trump and Musk administration is betraying veterans

OPINION

For the last three months, we have witnessed an unprecedented attack on our government’s most crucial programs, including Medicaid, Social Security, and more. But last month, Trump and his co-president Elon Musk stooped to a new level of abhorrent behavior as they took aim at the Department of Veterans Affairs. According to an internal memo obtained by the Associated Press on March 5, Trump plans to cut more than 80,000 jobs from the agency. This department serves nine million enrolled veterans on an annual basis and oversees nearly 200 medical centers and hospitals. Also, to add insult to injury, more than 25% of the agency’s workforce is comprised of veterans.

In short, this will mean longer wait times for medical procedures and reduced services by the largest health care provider in our nation. These unconscionable acts are signed, sealed and delivered by Musk and Trump to the men and women who have earned these benefits in service to this nation. But wait, there’s more, all the cuts to the federal workforce are crippling veteran employment in its totality. More than 33% of the federal workforce is made up of veterans who have always gotten preference in hiring from their extraordinary service to our country. That said, out of the 10,000 positions eliminated by Musk at the Department of Health Human Services this week, 3,250 are veterans. This is an appalling exercise that is undermining the ability for the federal government to do its job and fulfill the promises they have made to our veteran community.

Furthermore, it is going to mean the reduction of services for Camden County’s 60,000 veterans who call our community home and rely on navigation from veteran service officers, medical attention at the VA satellite office in Camden and the VA hospital in Philadelphia and variety of other services.

Veteran Affairs provides critical resources to some of the most vulnerable and needy citizens in our country and already struggles to keep up with the demand its recipients require. Imagining the state of this sprawling health care system with 80,000 less employees truly terrifies me and it should disturb anyone who cares at all about the lives of those who served this country. But of course, as he has done with other proposed cuts to necessary programs, Trump is selling this destruction as a positive thing. According to his delusional logic, slashing and burning a critical government agency to the ground will somehow increase efficiency and improve the quality of life for veterans. Last time I checked firing veterans from their jobs and making it even harder for them to access lifesaving care and benefits is not a good thing.

This administration’s continued efforts to chip away at all social safety nets for Americans is sickening and it is especially disgusting when the victims are people who have put their lives on the line to defend this country and our cherished way of life. Serving in the military is something that so few people have the courage to do and the bare minimum of repayment for their sacrifices is ensuring that they stay safe and healthy when they are discharged. This latest stunt is a blatant betrayal of everything that the Department of Veterans Affairs stands for. Their mission statement says that the agency’s core values are integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect and excellence but to me, this proposal goes against every single one of those principles. I wholeheartedly condemn this idea and encourage everyone to speak out against it.

Specifically, I encourage those who oppose these cuts to write, call and visit Republican representatives, Jeff Van Drew, Chris Smith and Tom Kean Jr. to let them know that you will not stand for this.

Jeff Van Drew:

• Northfield Office: 1001 Tilton Road, Suite 101, Northfield NJ, 08225
• Phone: (609)-625-5008
• Website: vandrew.house.gov/

Chris Smith:

• Ocean County District Office: 33 Washington Street, P.O. Box 728, Toms River, NJ 08754
• Phone: (732) 504-0567
• Monmouth County District Office: 1715 Highway 35 North, Suite 303, Middletown, NJ 07748
• Phone: (732) 780-3035
• Website: chrissmith.house.gov/

Tom Kean Jr.:

• Bernardsville District Office: 75 Claremont Road, Suite 206, Bernardsville, NJ  07924
• Additional office locations: kean.house.gov/contact/offices
• Phone: (908) 547-3307
• Website: kean.house.gov/

Louis Cappelli Jr.is the Camden County Commissioner Director and a partner in the law firm of Florio, Perrucci, Steinhardt, Cappelli & Tipton LLC.