For about a decade or so, Donald Trump's critics have asked what he could do that would finally turn his most devoted followers against him. That includes veterans, who told pollsters in 2024 that they overwhelmingly preferred him over Kamala Harris.
We may soon have our answer.
On Day 45 of President Trump's second term, we learned that his administration was preparing to massively downsize the Department of Veteran Affairs, the federal agency that, among other things, connects veterans with health care and other services.
Trump's Veteran Affairs secretary, Doug Collins, said the president was "finally going to give the veterans what they want."
He didn't explain why shedding tens of thousands of VA workers brought on to expand services during the Joe Biden administration would give them what they want or what effect the cuts would have on the 2022 PACT Act, a bipartisan law enhancing screening and care for veterans exposed to toxins such as Agent Orange and burn pits.
But if the Trump administration's plan is to tell veterans that "less is more," it will be a hard sell. I'm from North Carolina, which has one of the largest veteran populations in America. My father was a veteran, one of many in my family. Lots of folks here are connected to one branch if not several. And never, never, have I heard one of them say that Veteran Affairs is doing too much for them.
Already, Trump's plans for overhauling Veteran Affairs were not well received by many in my home state, which voted for the third time to give its Electoral College votes to Trump in 2024. North Carolina is home to several large bases, including Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Fort Bragg. These bases are deeply woven into their communities and cultures, and the military is one of our largest employers, too.
But we're now seeing some new faces at the protests.
Read Billy Ball's full column here.
