Latest news with #VeteransMarch
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Protests of federal government changes scheduled for Saturday across the north country
Apr. 2—MASSENA — More than 50 individuals have signed up so far, and more than 100 others have expressed interest in taking part in a peaceful protest against changes under the Trump administration. They'll gather from noon to 2 pm. Saturday at the intersection of Main Street and Route 37 in Massena, and they won't be alone. Similar protests will be taking place throughout the United States, including in Potsdam, Watertown and Plattsburgh. Organizer Jeanna Matthews said her involvement started on March 14, when veterans and supporters were called up for a nationwide march, dubbed the Veterans March, to protest the impact of cuts on critical programs that support former military service members. The protests were spearheaded by 50501 (short for "50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement"), a political action organization founded to protest the policies and actions of the second Donald J. Trump administration. "I heard about a veterans march on March 14 that was being organized all around the country. I had been hearing about cuts to veteran's benefits and things like that, and Elon Musk and his team of programmers going in and just firing tons of people," Matthews said. "It was playing pretty fast and loose with essential services and veterans benefits, people who deserve much better treatment." She said she felt strongly enough about it that she talked to some friends and decided to hold an event that day, along with others that were taking place in the U.S. "The way they said it was in Washington, D.C., in every state capital, or in your town, at a street corner near you. Basically, do something where you are. I thought I could do that," she said. "So, some friends and I decided to just organize something." They then decided to do another similar event in conjunction with the nationwide protest on Saturday. That's being done in partnership with the North Country Neighbors for Civic Engagement. "They have a lot more experience with this kind of thing," Matthews said. The event details have been posted on Facebook. "'We've been very clear that we should avoid the driveways. It's a peaceful protest and I really encourage people to focus on slogans on their signs that are convincing and respectful, and really try to get people to think about the direction things are going," she said. She has suggested several possible slogans for signs that might resonate with north country voters, like "Hands off Social Security," "Canada is our ally not Russia," "Reverse damaging cuts," "Stand with our allies," "Firing air traffic controllers makes us all less safe," "Protest DOGE," "Don't cut services for veterans," "Fund our schools," "Rural seniors need Social Security phone service," and "Musk's Tesla pays less taxes than you." "There's a lot of issues going on right now. I know there's a lot of things I'm concerned about. They're cutting Meals on Wheels. They're making Social Security difficult to access. They haven't outright cut Social Security, but they're saying you have to show up in person and you can't contact people on the phone. Especially for seniors in a rural area, that can be the difference between them being able to get access or not," Matthews said. "It would be nice if we could have just one problem and focus on that. But there's a full frontal assault of problems and I think a lot of them are very impactful up here." She suggested that some of the changes taking place in Washington aren't agreeable to many people. "I think many of these things were not what people voted for or advocated for," she said. "If they've done surveys, would you have wanted legal visa holders or green card holders targeted? Would you want cuts to veterans benefits? Would you want cuts to buying produce from farmers for food banks? Would you have wanted to make it difficult for the people who have paid into Social Security all of their life to be able to get those services? I think it's deeply unpopular all across the country, even in areas that voted strongly Republican. I think people are alarmed and afraid and want to have their voices heard." Peaceful protests have been planned on April 5 in: NEW YORK Albany Avon Batavia Beacon Binghamton Buffalo Canandaigua Corning Cornwall Delhi East Hampton Elizabethtown Farmingville Fredonia Gardiner Geneseo Glens Falls Greenport Hamilton Hastings on Hudson Hector Herkimer Highland Falls Ithaca Mamaroneck Massena Middletown Mineola Monticello Mount Kisco Nanuet New York Newburgh Norwich Oneonta Ovid Owego Patchogue Plattsburgh Potsdam Rochester Sag Harbor Saranac Lake Saratoga Springs Saugerties Seneca Falls Staten Island Syracuse Troy Utica Warwick Watertown VERMONT Barton Bennington Brandon Brattleboro Burlington Chester Hartford Jericho Manchester Center Newport Saint Albans City Shelburne South Burlington South Royalton Vergennes Winooski
South China Morning Post
24-03-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
US military veterans confront Republicans over Trump's sweeping job cuts: ‘what's next?'
As congressional lawmakers scramble to respond to US President Donald Trump's slashing of the federal government, one group is already taking a front and centre role: military veterans. Advertisement From lay-offs at the Department of Veterans Affairs to a Pentagon purge of archives that documented diversity in the military, veterans have been acutely affected by Trump's actions. And with the Republican president determined to continue slashing the federal government, the burden will only grow on veterans, who make up roughly 30 per cent of the federal workforce and often tap government benefits they earned with their military service. 'At a moment of crisis for all of our veterans, the VA's system of healthcare and benefits has been disastrously and disgracefully put on the chopping block by the Trump administration,' said Senator Richard Blumenthal, the top Democrat on the Senate Veterans Affairs (VA) Committee, at a news conference last week. Most veterans voted for Trump last year – nearly 6 in 10, according to an Associated Press survey of more than 120,000 voters. Yet congressional Republicans are standing in support of Trump's goals even as they encounter fierce pushback in their home districts. At a series of town halls this week, veterans angrily confronted Republican members as they defended the cuts made under Trump adviser Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (Doge). Big Sarge, a member of the Sons of Liberty, speaks during a 'Veterans March' on March 14, in Washington. Photo: AFP 'Do your job!' Jay Carey, a military veteran, yelled at Republican Chuck Edwards at a town hall in North Carolina.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Veterans March protests VA job cuts and budget reductions
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – People across evert U.S. Capital City came out for the Veteran's March Friday. Organizers of the Veterans March said they're protesting the job and budget cuts made by the VA stemming from the Trump administration's efforts to downsize the federal government. At Atwater Park in Canandaigua organizers tell News 8 their rally was planned at last minute, but a large number of protestors still turned out. 'We want democracy to work. We the people have to do this,' one woman said. She adds her call to action is for people to fight for their rights and make sure the constitution works. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
