Defending APWU Veterans Harmed by the Current VA Crisis

In the March/April 2025 Home Front column, we informed APWU veteran members of the highly serious consequences that Project 2025 will have on Veterans’ Affairs (VA) benefits, the quality of healthcare services veterans receive, and the use of private contractors to process and evaluate their disability claims. Our “Hands Off Our Veterans’ Healthcare” fight continues in 2025.

Well, APWU Veterans, what was a warning last year has suddenly become a reality. Veterans nationwide are under attack. The Project 2025 plan to destroy Veterans Preference and to gut federal agencies – including the Postal Service and VA healthcare benefits, has begun. So, it’s time to do what military veterans always do when we are under attack, we fight back!

The Union Veterans Council, in partnership with APWU affiliate veteran leaders and veteran service organizations nationwide, will address the devastating impact of the Trump and Musk attacks on our veterans and their family members. With hundreds of thousands of veterans employed in the Federal workforce, and millions relying on VA Healthcare and Veterans Benefits services, it is critical that our APWU veteran leaders and veteran organizations nationwide are fully informed on these threats and equipped with the real facts to counter misinformation. Together, we will provide accurate, up-to-date information so that our veteran leaders and veteran organizations have the tools to confirm or rebut misleading claims. The goal is to inform, equip, and mobilize leaders with clear, verifiable facts about these attacks. We want veterans organizations to know they have a trusted partner in the labor movement, ensuring they are never caught off-guard by administrative rhetoric or policy changes.

“The Union Veterans Council AFL-CIO is prepared to lead the way in this major battle to save veterans’ rights and benefits, federal jobs, and top quality veterans’ healthcare, fully staffed by Federal Government employees,” said Union Veterans Council Director William Attig.

The Union Veterans Council and APWU veteran leaders must defend our veterans’ family during this major American crisis. Tell the truth about the Trump and Musk agendas: separate fact from fiction. Counter misinformation, identify false narratives, confirm or rebut claims, and provide veterans with trusted information. The personal human cost of these attacks, and how veterans’ organizations and union organizations can work together, are crucial in the battle to save our American democracy.

We are under attack through job cuts, veteran layoffs, political purges, hiring freezes, VA closures and more. VA privatization means outsourcing will lead to longer wait times, higher costs, and worse healthcare outcomes for veterans. The impact of cuts to Social Security, military disability and pension claims, as well as other earned federal government benefits that millions of veterans and family members rely on daily, will seriously damage their personal lives.

The Struggle Continues, Because When Our Union Veterans are Under Attack, We Stand Up, Fight Back! ■