Rep. Kelly, House Democrats Holds Hearing on Republican Cuts Targeting Veterans
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02), co-chair of the House Democratic Steering & Policy Committee, held a hearing on the Republicans’ damaging scheme to cut veterans’ benefits. Rep. Kelly heard directly from three veterans, including one who was recently fired by President Donald Trump from a senior post at Veterans Affairs (VA).
Rep. Kelly asked witness Sharda Fornnarrino, who is a nurse at the VA, what she would tell President Trump and Elon Musk regarding their service cuts.
“I would tell them, ‘We’re not going to give up on the VA,’” said Fornnarrino. “We’ll continue to organize and fight back against their attacks. Our nurses are really proud to work at the VA.”
Rep. Kelly adjourned the hearing with the following full transcript:
“Donald Trump’s extreme policies aren’t just tanking our economy and making life harder on the American people. Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and extremists appointed in their Administration are specifically targeting our nation’s veterans. They are denying veterans the care they deserve by defunding VA hospitals, closing offices, and taking a chainsaw to programs like Social Security. They are breaking the promise of the PACT Act. Freezing funding. Stopping hiring.
“They have fired thousands of veteran workers from important jobs in our government—jobs that make sure Americans get their benefits on time, that air travel remains safe, and so much more.
“With more than 16 million veterans in America, you would think—or at the very least hope—that Donald Trump and Elon Musk would have their best interests at heart.
“But they don’t. Instead of standing up for those 16 million veterans, Trump and Musk are standing up for the handful of billionaire donors that are bankrolling the Republican Party.
“And just as they do that, they are triggering a reckless economic disaster right before our eyes. Democrats stand with our veterans and the American people. We believe in protecting hard-earned benefits—not prioritizing a billionaire’s bottom line.
“We know that we owe a debt to each and every single man and woman that has served our nation in uniform. Donald Trump might not care about repaying those debts, but Democrats absolutely do care. That is our job. George, James, Sharda, Will—know this: We will not stop fighting for you.”