Veterans Affairs News
The Daily Signal provides coverage of how America serves its veterans, including reporting on reforms, challenges, and success stories within the VA system.
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- Opinion
Trump’s VA Chief Confronts Challenges Facing America’s Veterans
Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie brings a personal and family history of military service to his high-profile job—characteristics that have helped him lead a government agency responsible for providing care for approximately 9.5 million of America’s veterans. Wilkie is the son of an Army artillery commander who grew up at Fort Bragg. Today, he is…Rob Bluey -
- Opinion
How You Can Celebrate Veterans Day the Right Way
“Word to the nation: Guard zealously your right to serve in the Armed Forces, for without them, there will be no other rights to guard.” President John F. Kennedy, 1962 On Monday, Veterans Day will be celebrated across the United States. The holiday, originally named Armistice Day, marked the end of fighting in World War…Thomas Spoehr -
- Opinion
Warning: How the VA ‘Red Flags’ Patriots
Gun-grabbing crisis vultures just can’t let the latest mass shootings go to waste. “Red flag” laws are now all the rage in the Beltway as the magic pill to prevent homicidal maniacs from wreaking havoc on the nation. Even President Donald Trump has endorsed the idea of preemptively confiscating people’s firearms if they are deemed…Michelle Malkin -
- News
Trump Honors 3 D-Day Veterans During State of the Union Address
During his State of the Union speech, President Donald Trump honored the service of three veterans who served in World War II. “On D-Day, June 6, 1944, 15,000 young American men jumped from the sky, and 60,000 more stormed in from the sea, to save our civilization from tyranny,” said Trump. “Here with us tonight…Joshua Q. Nelson -
- Opinion
The Peace Cross Honoring Fallen Veterans Should Not Be Bulldozed
Forty-nine families in Prince George’s County, Maryland, lost their sons in World War I. With their loved ones buried in European theaters of war, most of the families could not visit the graves. So in 1925, the American Legion and the Gold Star families erected a monument in the county to them—and all soldiers who…Emilie Kao -
- Opinion
America’s Debt to Veterans Doesn’t Require More Red Ink
As the 115th Congress comes to a close, America is once more faced with the prospect of legislators who have retired or been voted out of office being in a position to make bad decisions on their way out the door. So-called “lame duck” legislative sessions frequently produce laws that benefit narrow special interests and…David Ditch -
- News
After Doing ‘More Than Anyone’ for Veterans, Trump Vows He’s Not Finished
Toppling the bureaucratic stronghold at the Department of Veterans Affairs and expanding education opportunities and mental health treatment for former soldiers, sailors, and airmen are among the achievements President Donald Trump touted Thursday. After visiting Marine barracks in Washington earlier in the day, the president returned to deliver remarks at the White House. “We will…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
The Daily Signal Podcast: What Veterans Have Sacrificed
Veterans know what it means to sacrifice, and today, we honor them. John Cooper, an Air Force reserveman, joins us to discuss the importance of Veterans Day and how civilians can give back to our servicemen and women. He also shares about the veteran’s experience in the 21st century, when many Americans don’t know a…Katrina Trinko -
- Opinion
Trump Is Cracking Down on Wasted Time and Money at the VA
Believe it or not, the Department of Veterans Affairs has 430 medical professionals who, instead of performing their duties as nurses or doctors, spend some or all of their time working for their federal employees unions. All of that happens on the taxpayers’ dime. Not anymore, according to the VA’s recent announcement. As of Nov….Rachel Greszler -
- News
This Former Navy SEAL Has a Veterans Day Message for All Americans
Rep.-elect Dan Crenshaw of Texas appeared on “Saturday Night Live” to give a message of unity and connection this Veterans Day weekend. Crenshaw, a retired lieutenant commander and now Republican congressman-elect for Texas’ 2nd Congressional District, was thrown into the spotlight the weekend prior to Election Day when "SNL" cast member Pete Davidson mocked him for the wounds…Molly Prince -
- News
What Veterans Say About Effort at Supreme Court to Remove Peace Cross War Memorial
When Jake Hill heard that an atheist activist group had sued to have a historic World War I memorial pulled down because some people were offended by the monument’s Christian symbolism, the Marine got angry. “Americans of all faith backgrounds should be outraged,” Hill, a lance corporal in the Marine Corps, said. Hill, of Madison,…Troy Worden -
- Opinion
In 1919, Mothers Designed a Cross to Remember 49 Veterans. Now the Supreme Court Will Decide If It’s Constitutional.
They came from many walks of life, the 49 boys of Prince George’s County, Maryland. Several were laborers like George Washington Farmer and William Lee—one white, the other African-American. One, Ernest Pendleton Magruder, was a well-known surgeon. Another, Henry Lewis Hulbert, a Medal of Honor recipient of a previous war, would again display such bravery…Jeremy Dys -
- Opinion
Podcast: Supreme Court Will Hear Case on Veterans’ Cross Memorial Atheists Oppose
The Supreme Court recently announced that it will hear an appeal for a case involving a memorial cross. This large cross stands in an open field in Bladensburg, Maryland, and commemorates the sacrifice of 49 local servicemen who gave their lives in World War I. We talk with Jeremy Dys of First Liberty, the organization…Katrina Trinko -
- News
Under Shadow of Russia’s War, Ukrainian Veterans and Families of Fallen Try to Move On
KYIV, Ukraine—The trench lines of Europe’s only ongoing land war are six hours away by train from Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv. But you can hardly tell. Businesses and bars and universities and protests and politics—in other words, life—all go on and on despite the war. Yet, the war is always there. Distant and unseen…Nolan Peterson -
- News
Employer of Veterans Wins Fight With Union Over Worker Rights
MADISON, Wisconsin—A small businessman who employs fellow veterans fought back against big labor and won. Scott Flaugher’s win in court eventually could be a victory for the freedom of workers and the right to work movement nationwide. Flaugher, owner of Colgate-based Veterans Electric, in large part prevailed in a lawsuit against the electrical contractor brought by administrators of…M.D. Kittle -
- Opinion
Congress Should Ensure VA Health Care Funding, but Only Within Budget Caps
The appropriations process in Congress came to an unexpected halt July 19 as heated debates over funding the Department of Veterans Affairs could not be resolved. That hurdle was preceded by a summer of controversy regarding the reform of veterans’ health care funding. The outcome of those negotiations will affect not only our nation’s finest,…Justin Bogie -
- News
U.Va. Alumni Back Disputed Hiring of Trump White House Aide
Eleven prominent members of the University of Virginia’s alumni network released a letter Monday afternoon expressing support for President Donald Trump’s former legislative director, Marc Short, whose hiring as a scholar at a presidential center affiliated with the university is under partisan fire. Short’s defenders include former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (Class of ’91),…Katherine Rohloff -
- News
Highway Flagpoles Up Again After Veterans Complain About Removal
Flagpoles on a New York highway were restored after hundreds of veterans and other community residents complained about their removal prior to a statewide American Legion conference. The three flags originally flew along I-490 near Rochester, New York. Workers removed them July 13 because of “rigging and lighting issues,” according to a News10 NBC report. Veterans and…Neetu Chandak -
- News
Amputee Veteran Criticizes Sacha Baron Cohen for Disrespecting Military Veterans: ‘How Degrading Can You Be?’
Marine veteran and double amputee Johnny Joey Jones ripped comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen on “Fox & Friends” Friday for disguising himself as a military veteran to dupe former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. “How degrading can you be to the men and women that served this country?” Jones said. Jones said he had…Nick Givas -
- News
6 Things to Know About Trump’s Choice to Run the VA
President Donald Trump’s choice to run the Department of Veterans Affairs, a military reservist with experience at the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill, faces a Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday that could center on a debate over “privatization” of care. The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee is slated to consider Trump’s nominee, Robert Wilkie, who for a…Fred Lucas