Editor’s Note: This headline has been updated to include the word "some." The first paragraph has also been edited to clarify the proposal is for "veterans who are unable to make their own health care decisions," which indisputably includes homeless veterans. The number of veterans this proposal applies to, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, is clarified to be "about 700 Veterans, not all of whom are homeless." As the New York Times reports, there are about "33,000 homeless veterans in the United States." This number is not disputed by the VA.
President Donald Trump’s new proposal for addressing "veterans who are unable to make their own health care decisions" could involve forcibly institutionalizing hundreds or even thousands of them, including those who are "homeless or at risk of homelessness," according to Department of Justice public affairs department. And that policy is raising concerns about civil liberties.
“Our new partnership with the Justice Department reflects our ongoing commitment to ensuring that every veteran receives timely, appropriate care,” explained Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Doug Collins in a public statement. The VA says that they will initiate legal guardianships for veterans who are either homeless or “at risk of homelessness,” thereby empowering the federal government to involuntarily commit them to care facilities.
"Critics say the policy shift raises significant civil liberties concerns, noting that in earlier generations, people with severe mental illness were routinely stripped of their legal rights and confined to state hospitals,” reported The New York Times.
Representative Mark Takano, the top Democrat on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, said that “the Trump-Vance administration is pursuing policies that would push hundreds, if not thousands, of veterans into institutions and court-ordered guardianships.”
Takano added, “Guardianship should always be a last resort, after all less restrictive options have been exhausted, to ensure veterans’ rights are respected.”
By contrast, Michael Figlioli, the director of the National Veterans Service for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said “that some of our nation’s most vulnerable veterans must be approached through a public health and social services framework” and argued that if the program is carried out thoughtfully, guardianships could offer more “structured support” for vulnerable veterans. At the same time, he said that there would need to be due diligence taken to account for “veterans’ privacy, potential implementation gaps and the need for sufficient resources.”
As the Times reported, “There are about 33,000 homeless veterans in the United States, about 14,000 of whom live on the streets. Veterans make up around 5 percent of the unsheltered homeless population.” VA press secretary Pete Kasperowicz contacted AlterNet to clarify the proposal "will only apply to about 700 Veterans, not all of whom are homeless."
This stat implies that this policy applies to all of them, when in reality we’re looking at about 700 Veterans, not all of whom are homeless
Prior to this policy change, Trump has often disappointed veterans. He reneged earlier in March on a promise to establish a National Center for Warrior Independence, and his sweeping cuts to the federal workforce led to 62,000 veterans losing their jobs.
"Prior to this policy change, Trump has often disappointed veterans. He seemingly reneged earlier in March on a promise to establish a National Center for Warrior Independence by instead using the area to house parking lots, the UCLA baseball field, the Brentwood schools’ sports facilities, dog parks and oil wells; the Trump administration has since promised to build thousands of units, but one expert anticipates their total reaching 'maybe 5,000' which would be 'about 1,000 short of his promise to veterans.' Similarly Trump's sweeping cuts to the federal workforce led to 62,000 veterans losing their jobs."
“The Trump Administration has radically slashed the federal civilian workforce, sidestepping Congress and causing disruptions, slowdowns, and fragility in a range of critical public services that people and communities depend on,” wrote the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities earlier in March. “Veterans have been affected by these cuts both as members of the federal workforce and as recipients of federal health care and other benefits available to them based on their service.”
Trump has also been accused of showing disrespect toward veterans, such as earlier in March when he ignored protocol and left his hat on while greeting the remains of six soldiers killed in his Iran war.
“This fool has ABSOLUTELY no sense of dignity or appreciation for the moment,” Michael Steele, Republican National Committee chair from 2009 to 2011, wrote on X. “It is called the Dignified Transfer for a reason. Take your damn hat off!!”
Douglas Heye, a former communications director for the Republican National Committee, said that there is a partisan double standard.
“I know what Republicans would have said if Obama had done this — I would have written the statement,” Heye posted on X. “Shameful.”
A number of administration sources, including Trump’s former chief of staff and retired Marine Corps. General John F. Kelly, have said that Trump privately referred to soldiers as “suckers” and “losers” because he could not understand them fighting for things other than self-interest.