DOGE’s war on American veterans has begun

Two recent essays should raise alarm bells within the veteran community.

The first, published in The Economist, is titled “American veterans now receive absurdly generous benefits.” As the title suggests, it questions the disability benefits that veterans receive. The second, published in the Wall Street Journal’s opinion section, urges Elon Musk and DOGE to eliminate SkillBridge, a Department of Defense program that provides crucial assistance in helping members of the military transition back into civilian life.

When viewed on their own, these pieces may appear as contrarian clickbait. But in the current climate, it seems that these articles in relatively conservative publications represent the initial attack in an effort to strip American veterans of their hard-earned benefits.

Military life is rough, with difficult training and frequent overseas deployments. Although patriotism and adventure are always motivators, a National Interest article highlights the fact that most Army enlistees joined for financial reasons: “the overwhelming majority of respondents had economic reasons for joining up; for most enlistees, military service appears to be a job first and a calling second.” If the military hopes to continue filling its ranks, it must provide recruits a compelling benefits package to do so.

Few veterans come from wealthy backgrounds; America’s affluent families do not like to send their children to war. Nevertheless, military service offers veterans opportunities for social mobility through its education benefits. Those who commit to a 20-year career can attain a certain level of financial stability through the military’s retirement package. Veterans injured in the line of duty can be confident that they will receive compensation for their disabilities. This system is equitable and provides many people with a genuine chance at the American dream.

While veterans have typically enjoyed public support and protection, recent DOGE cuts have had a disproportionately negative impact on the community. The indiscriminate firing of federal workers without regard for their veteran status is deeply troubling, as nearly one-third of federal workers served. These firings have included numerous disabled veterans with multiple overseas deployments, with no consideration of their sacrifice.

White House advisor Alina Habba recently implied that these veterans did not deserve their jobs at all. She said, “We are going to care for them in the right way, but perhaps they’re not fit to have a job at this moment, or not willing to come to work.”

These remarks are callous at best, especially considering that Habba grew up in an affluent New York City suburb and never had to enlist to pay for her college education. Although the Trump administration claims to be pro-veteran, it has not condemned these remarks, nor has it done anything to protect veterans who are federal employees.

Even more concerning is the lack of response from the veteran community to defend our own. We are a vulnerable group. Only about 5 percent of the U.S. population has served, which is not enough to form a significant voting bloc, and few of us belong to the donor class. The memory of 9/11 has faded, and the yellow ribbon stickers on cars have gone away. So what is the incentive to take care of us veterans beyond altruism? It is only a matter of time until DOGE targets veteran disability, retirement and education benefits.

What should veterans do about it? The answer is simple: The veteran community needs to put partisanship aside, come together and look out for our own best interests. While billionaires are eliminating our jobs and considering cutting our benefits, we must make our voices heard.

Although few Americans have ever served, about 20 percent of Congress are veterans, so we should have powerful allies if the community and its supporters speak out. The demand to DOGE's leaders should be simple: Don’t think about touching our benefits until you pay your fair share of taxes.

Alec Emmert is the CEO of Service to School, a national nonprofit that has mentored over 3,500 veterans to college matriculation. He is a former Navy submarine officer and consultant at McKinsey and Co.

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