On Veterans Day, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler issued a statement highlighting the challenges facing veterans and criticizing recent government actions affecting their well-being.
Shuler began by referencing her father’s service in the Marine Corps and his transition to civilian life through an Electrical Workers apprenticeship program. She said, “That’s the promise unions honor and fight for today and every day: that when veterans come home, this country will have their backs. We can never fully repay veterans for the sacrifices they have made, but we can honor their service, stand up to attacks on the freedoms they fought to defend and protect the benefits they earned.”
She accused the current administration of undermining support for veterans. According to Shuler, policies such as terminating union contracts and dismissing thousands of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employees are negatively impacting those who served. She stated that these actions are part of what she described as the DOGE/Project 2025 agenda, which she says threatens veterans’ health care access and job security.
Shuler claimed that about 1.2 million veterans are at risk of hunger due to delays in releasing contingency funds for programs like SNAP during government shutdowns. She also cited staffing shortages at VA facilities leading to longer wait times and lower quality care for veterans.
Further criticisms included an executive order that she said initiated widespread union-busting efforts within federal agencies, disproportionately affecting VA workers—nearly 30% of whom are veterans themselves. Shuler added that VA Secretary Doug Collins canceled contracts covering 400,000 VA employees—almost one-third being veterans—in response to union opposition against administrative policies.
Additional concerns raised involved alleged firings of crisis line staff, threats to privacy for those seeking mental health services, dissolution of offices addressing racial inequities in care, new guidelines permitting doctors to deny treatment based on non-medical factors such as political beliefs or marital status, reductions in cancer trials considered “life-saving,” and increased obstacles for accessing earned benefits.
“Today and every day, the labor movement is proud to be home to more than 1 million veterans. While politicians flatter them with empty slogans, unions will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with all veterans and deliver them the future they deserve,” Shuler concluded.
