Vets hope thousands will rally against VA cuts in nationwide protests

Veterans organizations will hold a day of protests in various cities and at Department of Veterans Affairs facilities around the country on Friday, June 6, headlined by a rally in Washington, D.C. that will feature the punk and activist band Dropkick Murphys.
The protests, say organizers of the D.C. event, are aimed at speaking out against expected staffing cuts to the VA, which they say will greatly impact care for veterans.
'We want to have a big tent for this. Veterans Affairs affects more than 14 million American veterans, of every political stripe and from every socio-economic background,' Joe Plenzler, a Marine veteran, told Task & Purpose. Plenzler has previously written opinion essays for Task & Purpose about veteran issues.
Along with the Washington, D.C. rally, online organizers have plans for over 200 other events at VA facilities in nearly every state, coinciding with the 81st anniversary of D-Day and the invasion of Normandy.
Organizers of the D.C. event, dubbed the Unite for Veterans rally, say they expect several thousand people to turn out on the National Mall for the 2 p.m. event. Plenzler, one of the event's organizers, told Task & Purpose the rally will feature several prominent veterans as speakers, including Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), former Congressman Adam Kinzinger, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America CEO Kyleanne Hunter, and Shawn Vandiver, founder of AfghanEvac, a non-profit that works to resettle Afghans in the United States.
The organizers acknowledged that the millions of veterans in the United States can have disparate political views, but one unifying aspect behind the rally is a demand that VA care and services not be diminished.
'We want to have a big tent for this. Veterans Affairs affects more than 14 million American veterans, of every political stripe and from every socio-economic background,' Plenzler said.
Plenzler said that the prospect of severe staffing cuts could both reduce care and also cost many vets their jobs, since a third of all federal employees are veterans.
'If you go into the VA, upwards of 25% of their employees are veterans. It's veterans caring for veterans,' he said.
For its part, the VA has repeatedly claimed that personnel cuts won't impact care.
In a statement to Task & Purpose, VA Press Secretary Peter Kasperowicz said that 'anyone who says VA is cutting health care and benefits is not being honest. In fact, VA is expanding health care and benefits.'
The proposed cuts, first reported by the Associated Press, would amount to a 15% reduction of the department's workforce. VA Secretary Douglas Collins described the number as a 'goal' rather than a fixed plan last month.
Kasperowicz also accused rally organizers of opposing necessary reforms on political grounds.
'Imagine how much better off veterans would be if this union-led group cared as much about fixing the department as it does about protecting VA's broken bureaucracy,' Kasperowicz said.
Sen. Duckworth, in a statement to Task & Purpose, said that she was outraged at the administration's policies towards veterans.
'Donald Trump has fired more veterans than any president in modern history, and by gutting the VA he is hurting our veterans' access to the quality health care and other benefits they've earned through their service,' she said.
Dusty Gannon, an Army officer who served in Afghanistan as a platoon leader, said he was planning on going to the rally because he sees a disconnect between how veterans in the U.S. are venerated and how they're cared for.
'We have this whole [generation] of veterans who fought in all of these conflicts who are all coming home, and the government is failing us,' he said. 'They've just left us high and dry.'
Gannon said he hopes the rally will be a chance to meet and spend time with fellow veterans who understand the 'gravity of the experience,' he said.
Nationally, organizers are tracking the times and locations of rallies on a central online spreadsheet.
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19 minutes ago

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33 minutes ago

Nations react to US strikes on Iran with many calling for diplomacy

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'The continuation of such attacks risks dangerous escalation with consequences that extend beyond the borders of any single state, threatening the security of the entire region and the world,' government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi said in the statement. President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi warned of 'grave repercussions' for expanding the Middle East conflict and urged a return to negotiations. Saudi Arabia, which previously condemned Israel's strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities and military leaders, expressed 'deep concern' about the U.S. airstrikes, but stopped short of condemning them. 'The Kingdom underscores the need to exert all possible efforts to exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions, and avoid further escalation,' the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Qatar, which is home to the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, said it 'regrets' escalating tensions in the Israel-Iran war. Its Foreign Ministry in a statement urged all parties to show restraint and 'avoid escalation, which the peoples of the region, burdened by conflicts and their tragic humanitarian repercussions, cannot tolerate.' Qatar has served as a key mediator in the Israel-Hamas war. Both the Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hamas condemned the U.S. strikes. The Houthi political bureau in a statement called on Muslim nations to join 'the Jihad and resistance option as one front against the Zionist-American arrogance.' Hamas and the Houthis are part of Iran's so-called Axis of Resistance, a collection of pro-Iranian proxies stretching from Yemen to Lebanon that for years gave the Islamic Republic considerable power across the region. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the U.S. bombing could lead to a regional conflict that no country could bear and called for negotiations. 'Lebanon, its leadership, parties, and people, are aware today, more than ever before, that it has paid a heavy price for the wars that erupted on its land and in the region,' Aoun said in a statement on X. 'It is unwilling to pay more.' Pakistan blasted the U.S. strikes as a 'deeply disturbing' escalation just days after it nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his diplomatic intervention with the India-Pakistan crisis. 'These attacks violate all norms of international law,' the government said in a statement. 'Iran has the legitimate right to defend itself under the U.N. Charter.' China condemned U.S. strikes on Iran, calling them a serious violation of international law that further inflamed tensions in the Middle East. In a statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry urged all parties — especially Israel — to implement a cease-fire and begin dialogue. 'China is willing to work with the international community to pool efforts together and uphold justice, and contribute to the work for restoring peace and stability in the Middle East,' the ministry said. The European Union's top diplomat said Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, but she urged those involved in the conflict to show restraint. 'I urge all sides to step back, return to the negotiating table and prevent further escalation,' EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a post on social media. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Iran's nuclear facilities 'represented a danger for the entire area' but hoped the action could lead to de-escalation in the conflict and negotiations. Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris called the U.S. airstrikes 'an extraordinarily dangerous escalation of a conflict that already best be described as a tinderbox.' Ireland, which has been especially critical of Israel's war in Gaza, echoed other European calls for negotiations that would prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. 'We're now entering a moment of particular danger,' Harris said. 'The chances now of a spiral of escalation are more likely than ever before, and there is a real prospect now of the international community losing all control of this very, very volatile conflict.' Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia's government endorsed the U.S. strikes. 'We support action to prevent Iran getting a nuclear weapon and that is what this is,' she said. Her remarks to Channel Nine news Monday were firmer than an official statement supplied Sunday by her government immediately after the strikes that stopped short of backing them. 'Ultimately we want to see de-escalation and diplomacy,' Wong said. She would not say whether Australian satellite communications or signals intelligence were employed by the United States. Both countries are members of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing partnership. But Wong said the U.S. had been clear that 'this was a unilateral strike.' Left-wing Latin American governments expressed fierce opposition to the U.S. strikes. Iran-allied Venezuela called the attacks 'illegal, unjustifiable and extremely dangerous.' Colombian President Gustavo Petro said they were an insult to the Middle East. Chile's President Gabriel Boric said they violated 'rules we have established as humanity.' Mexico's Foreign Ministry made 'an urgent call for peace.' In contrast, Argentina's libertarian President Javier Milei, a loyal ally of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, praised the attacks on social media. 'Terrorism, never again,' his spokesperson said. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters it was crucial to calm the situation as soon as possible, adding that Iranian nuclear weapons development also must be prevented. He declined to comment on whether he supported the U.S. attacks on Iran. Vietnam called on parties to continue negotiation efforts and respect humanitarian law and International Atomic Energy Agency regulations. 'Vietnam is deeply concerned about the escalating and complex conflict in the Middle East, which poses a serious threat to the lives and safety of civilians, as well as to regional and global peace and stability,' Foreign Affairs Ministry spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang said in the statement. Thailand called on all parties to immediately stop all acts of violence and seek a peaceful resolution. 'Thailand expresses its grave concern over the escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, particularly in light of the recently intensified attacks and expansion of conflict by other parties, which pose a serious threat to regional peace and stability and risk further escalation, all of which is dangerous and affecting countless civilians," the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement. Pope Leo XIV made a strong appeal for peace during his Sunday Angelus prayer in St. Peter's square, calling for international diplomacy to 'silence the weapons.' After an open reference to the 'alarming' situation in Iran, the first American pontiff stressed that 'today more than ever, humanity cries out and invokes peace and it is a cry that demands reason and must not be stifled.'