Veterans feel 'betrayed' by GOP and it is 'going to have consequences': analysis

Some veterans are looking for a new party as many start to feel “betrayed” by Republicans in Washington, according to a MSNBC column from Democratic Strategist Max Burns.

“For six long months, President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have put America’s 16 million veterans through the emotional wringer,” Burns said. “Thousands of veterans have already lost their jobs because of Trump’s mass firings of federal workers, and many more will follow. One internal Department of Veterans Affairs memo suggests up to 80,000 more job cuts are on the way.”

Those VA cuts could not only affect veterans’ jobs but also the care US service members received at VA hospitals.

“Veterans were told our service would be honored, that we’d be taken care of when we came home,” said Army National Guard Veteran Christopher Purdy. “The same lawmakers who made those promises are backing budgets that would gut the systems veterans rely on. It sends a message: veterans are useful as symbols, but expendable when it comes to actual policy.”

Even if they don't use VA hospital services, they could face another issue: food insecurity.

“Twenty-five percent of active-duty service members report facing food insecurity and chronic hunger, compared to just 10% of the general population,” Burns said.

A Defense Department report found there are 22,000 troops who use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is set to be cut in the “big, beautiful bill.”

The columnist added, “For most veterans on [SNAP], those cuts will make it even harder to feed their families.”

“The word ‘betrayal’ comes up a lot in conversations with veterans’ advocates, especially when they talk to veterans who have watched with dismay as Republicans rebrand their earned benefits as government handouts,” Burns wrote. “Those veterans backed Republicans in 2024 by a nearly 2 to 1 margin, only to find a growing number of GOP lawmakers refusing to even hear their concerns.”

The Democratic Strategist added, “Democrats have noticed veterans’ rising frustrations, too, and hope to channel that discontent into a new electoral coalition. It won’t be as easy as simply thanking the troops for their service.”

“Veterans can tell the difference between symbolic gestures and real commitment,” Purdy said. “Veterans understand what it means to serve this country more than most, and we pay attention. When politicians start tearing apart the very systems we fought to defend, it’s going to have consequences.”