Democrats unveil bill to force Trump administration to rehire fired veterans

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Senate Democrats unveiled a bill Monday to reinstate veterans who were fired from the federal government as part of the Trump administration's efforts to reduce the size of the federal workforce.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Sen. Andy Kim, who introduced the Protect Veteran Jobs Act, said in a statement that veterans make up more than 30% of the federal workforce and it is estimated that President Donald Trump and his adviser Elon Musk have already fired more than 6,000 veterans.

"Veterans who choose to continue their service to our country in the federal workforce deserve our utmost gratitude, but instead this Administration has kicked thousands of our heroes to the curb and left them without a paycheck.

"The message of our bill is simple: Give our heroes their jobs back," Duckworth said in a statement.

She also called on Republicans to stop enabling Trump and Musk’s "chaos" and support their legislation.

Kim said the veterans "not only stepped up to serve our country in uniform but chose to continue their public service in our federal workforce"

"How dare anyone bring this chaos onto them and endanger them and their families’ livelihoods in such a way," he added.

The act is cosponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal, Mark Kelly, Ruben Gallego, Tim Kaine, Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker, Jacky Rosen and Dick Durbin.

The legislation would also require the Trump administration to report to Congress on a quarterly basis on the veterans who have been removed from federal employment and provide justification for their removal, according to the statement.