Veterans rally in Santa Rosa against federal budget cuts affecting benefits, staffing

Outside Santa Rosa’s Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic Wednesday, a group of about 45, mostly older veterans rallied to protest news of mass firings and other cuts planned for the sprawling federal department serving millions of people who served in the country’s military.

Most in the crowd sported military insignia or jackets and hats representing different branches and affiliations. “NATIVE VETERAN,” one Navy cap read. “PURPLE HEART COMBAT WOUNDED,” another said.

The signs they held demanded “no cuts to mental health” and pleaded to “keep promises to vets.”

The local rally came amid a flurry of such protests nationwide as the Trump administration plans a reorganization of the Department of Veterans Affairs that could slash tens of thousands of jobs at the agency that provides health care, housing and other benefits for retired military members.

“We’re here not just for ourselves but those people inside,” Vietnam veteran Claudio Calvo said to the group, pointing to the VA building beyond the parking lot where they gathered. “They’ve worked hard to take care of us.”

Calvo described his open-heart surgery through the VA over a decade ago. “I tell you I wouldn’t go anywhere else,” he said, signing off his comments with the Marine Corps motto “Semper Fi” — short for “Semper fidelis,” or “Always faithful.“

”Airborne!“ an Army veteran retorted playfully from the crowd.

But the generally high spirits were at times tempered by grief and outrage as speakers took turns on the bullhorn.

That’s because, in its effort to pare down spending and sharply narrow the work at many federal agencies, the Trump administration has already cut thousands of VA jobs and hundreds of contracts. An internal memo, obtained Wednesday by the Associated Press, outlined a reorganization plan that would eliminate 80,000 VA positions, taking the agency back to 2019 staffing levels.

In addition to the more than 9 million people who use at least one VA benefit or service spanning housing, health care, disability and more, veterans make up more than a quarter of the VA’s workforce.

In recent years, facing increasing demand, the VA expanded under the Biden administration.

President Donald Trump’s Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins defended the staffing cuts Wednesday, saying “the federal government does not exist to employ people. It exists to serve people.”

Collins vowed that the reductions would not result in “cuts to health care or benefits to veterans and VA beneficiaries.”

But the rolling cuts and changes have sparked outcry across the country from veterans, workers, advocates and some lawmakers.

In Santa Rosa, Suzanne Ellis who worked at the VA for more than 30 years, said the cuts are “really different” than what she’s seen in the past “because it’s blanket.” Cuts to behind-the-scenes roles like information technology could trickle down to veterans, she pointed out, if they affect the ability for users to secure or access services.

“These benefits were earned, and taking them away is plain wrong,” Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, wrote in a letter read aloud by an aide at the Santa Rosa rally. The North Bay’s senior member of Congress, who is a combat veteran, described a “precarious moment” for the vital agency and called out the role of the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency led by billionaire Elon Musk which has led the sweeping cuts across the federal government.

“You can’t operate a government the same way you operate a business,” said Kim Valadez, who worked at the VA for two decades. The recent moves don’t make sense, she said. “We’re always understaffed rather than overstaffed.”

More than anything, Valadez said she worried that veterans could suffer. “They’ve already been abandoned enough times in their lives.”

Army veteran Katie Weber said she’s seen the VA evolve in the decades she’s used its services. She remembers breastfeeding her child in her car from the VA clinic parking lot, but now there are lactation pods. Weber worries that hard-won improvements to services and culture will be rolled back.

As a survivor of sexual assault in the military, she’s been involved in prevention training for service members — programs that have now been paused to comply with Trump’s executive order abandoning diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

“These are the kind of things that we fought for that I’m so scared to lose,” she said.

After a series of planned and impromptu speeches, rally-goers stood and chatted and waved to passing cars, many honking in support.

Marine veteran Calvo said that while he was worried he was also confident the VA and supporting community would be heard.

“You want to mess with the vets, you won’t get reelected,” he said.

You can reach “In Your Corner” Columnist Marisa Endicott at 707-521-5470 or marisa.endicott@pressdemocrat.com. On X (formerly Twitter) @InYourCornerTPD and Facebook @InYourCornerTPD.