“Heroes in the Firing Line:” Congressman Castro Slams Trump’s Attacks on American Veterans During Introduction of Protect Veteran Jobs Act
WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) joined veterans and fellow Democrats in a press conference on Capitol Hill to slam the Trump administration’s unjustified and illegal mass layoff of American veterans who work for the federal government. Castro’s district in San Antonio is home to more than 50,000 veterans and thousands of military families.
During Wednesday’s press conference, Congressman Castro joined Congressman Derek Tran (CA-45) and 45 co-sponsors to introduce the Protect Veteran Jobs Act, which would reinstate veterans removed from federal employment without cause as a result of President Trump and Elon Musk’s efforts to indiscriminately purge the federal workforce. The Protect Veteran Jobs Act also requires each executive branch agency to report to Congress on a quarterly basis about the number of veterans removed from civilian service roles and the justification for such removal. The bill is endorsed by VoteVets, the American Federation of Government Employees, AMVETS, and the Union Veterans Council of the AFL-CIO.
A transcript of Congressman Castro’s remarks during the introduction of the Protect Veteran Jobs Act Press Conference is available below.
Good afternoon y'all.
I’m Joaquin Castro, and I’m very proud to represent my hometown, San Antonio, which - because of the number of military bases, military families and veterans - is known as Military City, USA.
And since my first years in Congress, I‘ve worked to make sure that Congress fulfills our promise to fight for veterans the way they have fought for us.
Three years ago, I was proud to join many of the folks here today to fight for the passage of the Honoring our PACT, which was the largest expansion of VA benefits in more than three decades.
Back then, in a sign of what would come later, Republican senators tried to block the PACT Act from passing.
You remember that there were a group of them who fist bumped on the Senate floor when temporarily, they blocked its passage.
Unfortunately, many of my Republican colleagues talk the talk about defending our veterans but when it comes down to it, they don't walk the walk.
For decades, the federal government has been one of the largest employers of American veterans, many of whom go on to work at the VA and serve their fellow veterans.
Today, thousands of these heroes are in the firing line as Elon Musk attempts to dismantle the federal government.
Let us be clear about this. When you attack federal employees - when you indiscriminately fire the federal workforce - you are disproportionately harming veterans.
You are targeting veterans who are employees of federal agencies.
Elon Musk won’t tell us how many veterans he's fired today.
We don't have an exact number.
But with veterans making up 30% of the federal workforce, we know that many are suddenly without a job and struggling to pay their bills.
At the VA, those layoffs will mean longer wait times, rushed appointments, and reduced access to the care that our veterans have earned.
None of us should stand for that.
I'm proud to support Congressman Tran's bill, which is a commonsense step to protect our veterans, and I hope that my Republican and Democratic colleagues will do the same.
To veterans in San Antonio and across the United States: We're listening to you.
We won't leave you behind and we have your back.