Wichita Standard

Senators Richard Blumenthal and Tim Kaine, along with 19 other senators, have called on President Donald Trump to reinstate veterans who were allegedly terminated unlawfully during mass terminations of federal employees. Veterans account for 30% of the federal workforce, with about 640,000 veterans employed in federal agencies.

In a letter addressed to President Trump, Blumenthal and Kaine expressed their concerns over the impact of the administration's actions on military and veteran communities. "We are increasingly concerned by the real-life negative impacts your Administration’s directives are having on our nation’s military and veteran community," they wrote. The letter highlighted that more than 30,000 employees across various federal departments were abruptly dismissed without justification or notice.

The senators underscored that an estimated 6,000 veterans have been affected by these terminations. They criticized the lack of transparency from the administration regarding the exact number of veterans impacted and pointed out that many had exemplary performance records.

"Federal civil service has long been a preferred path for military-affiliated populations," noted the senators. They emphasized that veterans play crucial roles in departments such as Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA), where they constitute significant portions of the workforce—nearly 50% at DOD and nearly 30% at VA.

The letter concluded with a demand for President Trump to halt what they described as attacks on veterans: "Your Administration’s actions are damaging...our national security. We demand that you cease your attacks on our nation’s heroes...and immediately reinstate those who have been illegally fired with their full back pay and benefits."

The appeal was supported by Senators Mazie Hirono, Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker, Mark Kelly, Jeff Merkley, Jacky Rosen, Tammy Baldwin, Sheldon Whitehouse, Ben Ray Luján, Jeanne Shaheen, Bernard Sanders, Tammy Duckworth, John Hickenlooper, Gary Peters, Raphael Warnock, Catherine Cortez Masto, Ron Wyden, Angela Alsobrooks and Richard Durbin.