Trump’s Hiring Freeze Is Screwing Over Veterans: Report

The Trump administration’s 90-day federal hiring freeze, initiated during the first week of his second term, is shattering the lives of tens of thousands of veterans who rely on federal employment for stability and purpose after military service. The freeze has abruptly canceled countless federal job opportunities, leaving veterans in despair and exacerbating mental health struggles, as seen in the Facebook group “Veterans 2 Federal Jobs,” reported RollingStone.com.

This policy is not only denying veterans critical employment opportunities but also worsening the already dire staffing shortages at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). With a $6.6 billion budget shortfall, unfilled vacancies for medical professionals, crisis hotline responders, and claims processors will lead to catastrophic delays in care, impacting veterans’ health and safety. Disabled veterans, who depend heavily on federal jobs due to challenges in the private sector, are particularly harmed, as are vulnerable groups like women and minorities following Trump’s rollback of equal opportunity protections for federal contractors.

Despite claims of fiscal prudence, the freeze reflects a manufactured crisis, laying the groundwork for permanent federal workforce reductions while exempting the Trump White House. For all the rhetoric about supporting the troops, this hiring freeze reveals a devastating betrayal of America’s veterans.4o