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Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Veterans Speak Out Against Trump's Military Parade
Veteran Rebecca Roberts speaks outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., during a protest by veterans on June 13, 2025, over Trump's military parade. Credit - Leigh Vogel—Getty Image Thousands of troops will march through Washington, D.C. as a part of President Donald Trump's national military parade on Saturday to honor the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army. The day also coincides with the President's 79th birthday. But the parade arguably couldn't come at a more precarious time. The Trump Administration is engaged in a legal battle with California, after deploying National Guard troops to Los Angeles without the request or approval of Gov. Gavin Newsom. There is also grave concern about what's happening overseas, as Israel and Iran trade deadly missiles after Israel launched a military operation targeting Iran's nuclear facilities and personnel. Amid all this, protests are expected throughout the country as organizations and individuals take part in 'No Kings Day' demonstrations. While the protests have long been arranged, they've been largely spurned on by Trump's actions regarding the L.A. protests, which have since spread to other cities across the U.S. The protests are 'taking action to reject authoritarianism—and show the world what democracy really looks like,' per the 'No Kings' website, which also states 'in America, we don't do kings.' Dissent against the parade is also coming partly from within one of Trump's most reliable support bases: veterans. Although former U.S. military personnel have historically voted with wide margins in favor of Trump and the Republican Party, there is a growing discontent among some within the community. Read More: Veterans Condemn Trump's 'Misuse of Military Power' Amid L.A. Protests On Friday, a group of roughly 60 veterans and military family members protesting both the deployment of the National Guard in L.A. and Saturday's military parade were arrested by the Capitol Police, after they breached a police line of bike racks. 'President Trump threatened Americans coming to exercise their first amendment rights would be met with 'great force,'' said Michael T. McPhearson, veteran and director of Veterans for Peace, an organizer of the protest. 'We are the actual people who put uniforms on because we believe in the freedoms this country is supposed to be about and we will not be intimidated into silence.' McPhearson's words echo the sentiments of others, including Chris Purdy, a U.S. Army National Guard veteran who served from 2004 to 2012 and was deployed to Iraq in 2011. Purdy maintains values of military might and respect set to be displayed in the parade exist in 'stark contrast' to how Trump is treating both veterans and also 'our neighbors and our allies that have helped build the peace.' '[Veteran Affairs] announced an end to the VASP [Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase] program. This is a program that kept around 13,000 veterans in their homes last year, and there are 90,000 vets who are at financial risk through their [VA] loans that would have benefited from this program,' says Purdy, highlighting the reported $45 million cost of the parade. 'I'm seeing a lot of attacks on the apolitical nature of the military, on the veteran community itself. And then, to kind of wrap it all up in this parade, it feels gross.' Purdy recounts a lesson from a sergeant in the Army, who told him that 'respect is built by coalitions, by relationships.' Purdy points to a defining factor of Trump's first months of Presidency, which has included contentious relationships with multiple U.S. allies, including Canada. 'I think about my time in Iraq and the coalition partners that I served alongside—the British, Polish, and Lithuanian soldiers—we built these coalitions to help us accomplish the mission,' Purdy says. 'We [veterans] believe that America can lead the world without being oppressive. So this kind of ostentatious display of American might feels unnecessary. It feels like the bully on the playground that needs to kind of go around and flex his muscles to prove like he's the biggest kid on the block.' And Purdy is not alone in his concerns. A survey conducted by Data for Progress and Common Defense, conducted in April, found that around 70% of the veterans approached said they are opposed to the Trump Administration 'ordering active-duty U.S. military troops to perform a parade in honor of President Trump's birthday.' Janessa Goldbeck agrees with Purdy's assessment, pointing to both the VASP cut, as well as Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill,' which proposes cuts to Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), that Goldbeck says many military and veteran households 'rely on.' 'And then you pair that with this complete endangerment and misuse of the National Guard and the active-duty military. Clearly, there's no regard for veterans or people in uniform from this Administration,' Goldbeck claims. 'All of this is an attempt to reshape the United States military as a tool of domestic power for the sitting President… it is certainly not in line with the principles enshrined in the Constitution that I swore to uphold and defend.' But not all veterans are in agreement that the parade is a 'gross' display of strength. Read More: What To Know About Trump's Military Parade Many veterans have traveled to Washington, D.C. for the festivities to celebrate the active-duty military members who are choosing to serve their country. 'It's good for Americans to see what their tax dollars are paying for and what the troops who are protecting them are using,' said veteran John Norton, who was on the bomb squad in the Army and served in Athens, Greece, and Vicenza, Italy. Norton was referencing the Army tanks and aircraft that will be displayed during the parade, during an interview with ABC News. Veteran Ana Salazar is attending the parade to 'thank' the active-duty military members for their service. 'Proud to be a fellow brother and sister-in-arms with my fellow veterans and active-duty service members,' she said. Salazar served in the military from 2003 to 2014, and was stationed in Belgium, Kansas, Missouri, and Hawaii, and did tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Still, Libby Jamison, military spouse and former President of the Military Spouse J.D. Network, says veterans she knows may agree with different aspects of Trump's policies, but those 'across the political spectrum' in her community are 'concerned about this level of spending on this type of pageantry.' Currently, Jamison is working on bringing down the 20% unemployment rate among active-duty spouses, and says the messaging of the parade as a celebration feels in conflict with the conditions she sees many veterans and military personnel existing in. 'I think if you ask [those] families what they need at this moment, it wouldn't be a parade. It would be, 'I need a job' or 'I need child care,'' Jamison argues. 'Who is this parade really for? Because it doesn't feel like it's for service members or families.' Contact us at letters@
Time Magazine
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Time Magazine
Veterans Speak Out Against Trump's Military Parade: ‘It Feels Gross'
Thousands of troops will march through Washington, D.C. as a part of President Donald Trump's national military parade on Saturday to honor the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army. The day also coincides with the President's 79th birthday. But the parade arguably couldn't come at a more precarious time. The Trump Administration is engaged in a legal battle with California, after deploying National Guard troops to Los Angeles without the request or approval of Gov. Gavin Newsom. There is also grave concern about what's happening overseas, as Israel and Iran trade deadly missiles after Israel launched a military operation targeting Iran's nuclear facilities and personnel. Amid all this, protests are expected throughout the country as organizations and individuals take part in 'No Kings Day' demonstrations. While the protests have long been arranged, they've been largely spurned on by Trump's actions regarding the L.A. protests, which have since spread to other cities across the U.S. The protests are 'taking action to reject authoritarianism—and show the world what democracy really looks like,' per the 'No Kings' website, which also states 'in America, we don't do kings.' Dissent against the parade is also coming partly from within one of Trump's most reliable support bases: veterans. Although former U.S. military personnel have historically voted with wide margins in favor of Trump and the Republican Party, there is a growing discontent among some within the community. On Friday, a group of roughly 60 veterans and military family members protesting both the deployment of the National Guard in L.A. and Saturday's military parade were arrested by the Capitol Police, after they breached a police line of bike racks. 'President Trump threatened Americans coming to exercise their first amendment rights would be met with ' great force,'' said Michael T. McPhearson, veteran and director of Veterans for Peace, an organizer of the protest. 'We are the actual people who put uniforms on because we believe in the freedoms this country is supposed to be about and we will not be intimidated into silence.' McPhearson's words echo the sentiments of others, including Chris Purdy, a U.S. Army National Guard veteran who served from 2004 to 2012 and was deployed to Iraq in 2011. Purdy maintains values of military might and respect set to be displayed in the parade exist in 'stark contrast' to how Trump is treating both veterans and also 'our neighbors and our allies that have helped build the peace.' '[Veteran Affairs] announced an end to the VASP [Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase] program. This is a program that kept around 13,000 veterans in their homes last year, and there are 90,000 vets who are at financial risk through their [VA] loans that would have benefited from this program,' says Purdy, highlighting the reported $45 million cost of the parade. 'I'm seeing a lot of attacks on the apolitical nature of the military, on the veteran community itself. And then, to kind of wrap it all up in this parade, it feels gross.' Purdy recounts a lesson from a sergeant in the Army, who told him that 'respect is built by coalitions, by relationships.' Purdy points to a defining factor of Trump's first months of Presidency, which has included contentious relationships with multiple U.S. allies, including Canada. 'I think about my time in Iraq and the coalition partners that I served alongside—the British, Polish, and Lithuanian soldiers—we built these coalitions to help us accomplish the mission,' Purdy says. 'We [veterans] believe that America can lead the world without being oppressive. So this kind of ostentatious display of American might feels unnecessary. It feels like the bully on the playground that needs to kind of go around and flex his muscles to prove like he's the biggest kid on the block.' And Purdy is not alone in his concerns. A survey conducted by Data for Progress and Common Defense, conducted in April, found that around 70% of the veterans approached said they are opposed to the Trump Administration 'ordering active-duty U.S. military troops to perform a parade in honor of President Trump's birthday.' Janessa Goldbeck agrees with Purdy's assessment, pointing to both the VASP cut, as well as Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill,' which proposes cuts to Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), that Goldbeck says many military and veteran households 'rely on.' 'And then you pair that with this complete endangerment and misuse of the National Guard and the active-duty military. Clearly, there's no regard for veterans or people in uniform from this Administration,' Goldbeck claims. 'All of this is an attempt to reshape the United States military as a tool of domestic power for the sitting President… it is certainly not in line with the principles enshrined in the Constitution that I swore to uphold and defend.' But not all veterans are in agreement that the parade is a 'gross' display of strength. Many veterans have traveled to Washington, D.C. for the festivities to celebrate the active-duty military members who are choosing to serve their country. 'It's good for Americans to see what their tax dollars are paying for and what the troops who are protecting them are using,' said veteran John Norton, who was on the bomb squad in the Army and served in Athens, Greece, and Vicenza, Italy. Norton was referencing the Army tanks and aircraft that will be displayed during the parade, during an interview with ABC News. Veteran Ana Salazar is attending the parade to 'thank' the active-duty military members for their service. 'Proud to be a fellow brother and sister-in-arms with my fellow veterans and active-duty service members,' she said. Salazar served in the military from 2003 to 2014, and was stationed in Belgium, Kansas, Missouri, and Hawaii, and did tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Still, Libby Jamison, military spouse and former President of the Military Spouse J.D. Network, says veterans she knows may agree with different aspects of Trump's policies, but those 'across the political spectrum' in her community are 'concerned about this level of spending on this type of pageantry.' Currently, Jamison is working on bringing down the 20% unemployment rate among active-duty spouses, and says the messaging of the parade as a celebration feels in conflict with the conditions she sees many veterans and military personnel existing in. 'I think if you ask [those] families what they need at this moment, it wouldn't be a parade. It would be, 'I need a job' or 'I need child care,'' Jamison argues. 'Who is this parade really for? Because it doesn't feel like it's for service members or families.'
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House approves mortgage assistance for veterans
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Thousands of veterans struggling to pay their home loans could soon get help from Congress after the Trump administration ended a mortgage rescue program earlier this month. The Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase (VASP) program, which the Biden administration created as an emergency fix following the COVID-19 pandemic, gave homeowners an affordable way to catch up on their VA-backed mortgage loan payments. 'President Trump and Secretary Collins are choosing to allow veterans to be foreclosed upon rather than to help them,' U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) said during a press conference Tuesday. Takano, the top Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said thousands of veterans are now at risk of losing their homes. 'This White House and VA don't seem to care,' Takano said. Takano argues without VASP, the federal government and taxpayers will foot the bill. 'It costs the VA and every one of us an estimated $60,000 every time a veteran is foreclosed on,' he said. The House advanced legislation Monday though that would allow the VA to create a similar lifeline for veterans, which Republicans do support. 'It was a bad program, and the Trump administration was right to stop it,' U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.) said on the House floor during Monday's debate. 'However, I recognize that sometimes veterans fall on hard times and veterans need a safety net.' Bost, the VA committee's top Republican, calls the new measure more fiscally responsible than VASP. 'In no way does that make sense to solve a $25,000 problem with a $320,000 solution. Only in government would you do that,' Bost said. Takano also supports the bill but worries it could arrive too late for some veterans since the Senate still has to debate it. In a statement, VA Press Secretary Peter Kasperowicz said ending VASP 'was necessary because VA is not set up or intended to be a mortgage loan restructuring service.' Kasperowicz said the wind down will not impact existing participants or eligible veterans who enrolled before May 1. 'Since the VASP program started May 31, 2024, VA has purchased more than 17,000 loans worth more than $5.48 billion, and this number is expected to increase in the closing days of the program,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Veterans Mortgage Assistance Plan Approved by House After VA Ends Rescue Program
Veterans struggling to pay their mortgages could get help under a plan approved by the House to replace a mortgage rescue program the Trump administration ended this month. The House approved by voice vote on Monday night a bill that would create a partial claims program for the Department of Veterans Affairs. The program would essentially allow veterans with VA home loans who need to skip mortgage payments to move those missing payments to the end of their loan term. The bill, if ultimately approved by the Senate and signed into law, could provide a lifeline to veterans who are at risk of foreclosure following the end of the Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase program this month. Read Next: Retired 4-Star Admiral Found Guilty on 4 Charges Stemming from Bribery Allegations "It was a bad program, and the Trump administration was right to stop it. However, I recognize that sometimes veterans fall on hard times and veterans need a safety net," House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill., said on the House floor. The bill approved Monday "is a fiscally responsible solution to enhance the VA home loan program and give veterans the assistance they might need if they are in home loan debt," Bost added. The VA had a partial claims program during the COVID-19 pandemic when many veterans, like others around the world, struggled to pay bills because their normal stream of income was disrupted. But that partial claims program ended in October 2022. When the program ended, thousands of veterans found themselves receiving unaffordable bills for mortgage payments they had missed. After NPR reported on the issue last year, the Biden administration created the Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase, or VASP, program as an emergency fix. Under VASP, the VA purchased delinquent loans from holders and became the primary loan servicer, providing borrowers a stable payment plan at a fixed rate of 2.5% for the remainder of their loan. The program helped about 17,000 veterans stay in their homes, while the VA purchased about $5.5 billion worth of loans through the program, according to the department. But Republicans opposed VASP, arguing that the Biden administration acted without congressional approval and that taxpayer dollars were put at unacceptable risk by the VA becoming the loan holder. Last month, the VA announced that it was ending VASP, effective May 1. While veterans already on VASP weren't kicked off, the department stopped accepting new applications on that date. VASP "should have never started to begin with," VA Secretary Doug Collins said at a House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing last week, claiming that the Veterans Benefits Administration was on the verge of needing to shuffle around billions of dollars from other programs to cover VASP costs. "It should not have been a program that was taking money away from other things to start and getting VA into the mortgage business," he said. Democrats fumed at Collins' decision, arguing that ending VASP without an alternative in place put 80,000 veterans at risk of foreclosure. The bill approved by the House on Monday would provide the alternative by giving the VA the authority to create a new partial claims program. The partial claims program could save the government about $170 million over a decade by reducing the amount of costs the VA pays related to loan defaults, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The bill, which was first introduced by Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., received bipartisan support after negotiations added some more protections Democrats were seeking for veterans who missed mortgage payments from March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic started, to May 1, when VASP ended. Still, Democrats are continuing to blast the VA for not taking more steps to ensure veterans aren't foreclosed on while the bill works its way through Congress. "I continue to urge the secretary to reinstate some kind of assistance for veteran borrowers until this legislation is signed into law and implemented," Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., the ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said on the House floor Monday. "That will take some time. Every veteran who loses their home will have no one to blame but President Trump and Secretary Collins." Related: Year-Old VA Mortgage Rescue Program Ended by Trump Administration
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Vets deserve to stay in their homes — VA is about to put that at risk
The uniformed men and women of the U.S. armed forces put their lives at risk to protect our security and freedoms. In return, service members expect little. They don't do it for the pay. They do it to preserve the American Dream and give back to this great nation. Through their sacrifices, they have earned the privilege to pursue a pillar of the American Dream: homeownership. Unfortunately, the Department of Veterans Affairs is about to put thousands of veterans at risk of losing their homes, depriving them of the American Dream that they fought to protect. The VA has long sought to step in as a backstop when financially strained vets fall behind on their mortgage payments. It is a sad reality, but there is a demand for such services. To support veterans and their families during the pandemic, the VA rolled out a partial claims program that offered relief to struggling vets, allowing them to move missed mortgage payments to the backend of their loan. Last year, the VA replaced that program with a new one called the Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase (VASP) program, which more than 17,000 veterans currently depend on. Earlier this month, the VA confirmed it would end the VASP program with no off-ramp to service the 17,000 veterans who will now be put at risk of foreclosure. The VA said it will shut the program to new enrollees as soon as May 1. Apparently, recognition for selflessness and sacrifice of service to the nation does not apply to veterans. VASP is a 'last resort' option to help families experiencing economic hardship. As part of VASP, loan servicers working with the VA modify loans to a 2.5% rate, and then sell the loan to the VA. This has allowed veterans and their families to remain in their homes with an affordable monthly mortgage payment. With VASP winding down, the back-owed amount on veterans' mortgages could be wrapped into a 30- or 40-year mortgage at current rates. Not surprisingly, this is spiking due to tariff uncertainty. That means vets would miss out on the VA program's discount and instead be saddled with historically high rates. Some have argued the VASP program introduced financial risk at the VA by keeping distressed mortgages on the department's books. VASP is not perfect. But ending the program without a replacement for the military families who need it is reckless. This places the risk exclusively in the hands of the veteran, not the department responsible for identifying and mitigating risk. There has been only scant discussion on how to responsibly replace this safety net for veterans and service members. The accelerating speed and recklessness of this policy change will inevitably harm veterans. The VA and its partners in Congress owe it to veterans to come up with a solution that keeps veterans in their homes. Lawmakers and officials could do this by allowing mortgage servicing companies to bundle missed payments into a noninterest lien that gets put on the house and becomes due once the mortgage is paid or the home is sold. That way, the VA isn't taking added risk on its books and veterans get to keep their homes. Service members and veterans vote, and 65% of veterans who voted in the 2024 presidential election said they cast their ballot for Trump, according to Election Day exit polls. They are a core part of his coalition. You'd think our president and VA Secretary Doug Collins, who clearly are not apolitical, would embrace their duty to take care of our veterans. The nation's veterans deserve gratitude and support from the government. They expect as much, especially from this administration. When the VA abruptly discontinued the pandemic-era Partial Claim Program in 2022, thousands of veterans were forced to refinance their mortgages at a time when interest rates had doubled. The financial stress on these veterans was not only unnecessary and predictable but also disappointing in terms of the promise the country has made to repay their sacrifices. One can hope that the abrupt flip on VASP is simply a case of Department of Government-inspired cost-cutting gone too far. After all, Elon Musk prefaced the work of DOGE by asserting that although they will inevitably make mistakes, they'll 'fix them very quickly.' Cutting VASP without an alternative in place — even for the few months that it could take new legislation to be implemented — is a mistake. The VA and members of Congress have little time to offer a solution that will allow veterans to stay in their homes. It is, however, their sacred duty to find one. James 'Spider' Marks, a retired U.S. Army major general, was the senior intelligence officer for the 2003 liberation of Iraq and the former commanding general of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center. He currently serves as the director of geo-political intelligence for Academy Securities, a New York-based veteran-owned bank.
