An official from a veterans union group on Monday said that the recent partial government shutdown was a “recipe for disaster” for the veteran community, putting many of its members on a “financial cliff.”
“Our veterans community also faces a lot of other challenges that other folks don’t in the American society, so when you put these outside stressors, these undue burdens on top of them, it’s a recipe for disaster,” Will Attig, who is an executive director of the Union Veterans Council, told Hill.TV’s Jamal Simmons and Buck Sexton.
Attig, who is also a former combat veteran, argued that returning service members and their families “shouldn’t have to worry about going to food banks,” saying financial security is a key part of making the transition back into civilian life.
“It should be a job that they’re able to raise a family, focus on what they need to survive and thrive in society; achieve that American dream they fought for,” he said. “Putting folks on a financial cliff is not really conductive to transition by any means.”
During the height of the shutdown, the Union Veterans Council issued a statement, condemning the stand-off between President Trump and Democratic lawmakers.
The group said that, while union veterans believe that the U.S. should improve border security, their “financial security should not be put at stake.”
The government shutdown is over, at least for now, thanks to a three-week continuing resolution deal. But it could take some months to recover.
About 800,000 federal employees went unpaid during the budget impasse, including many veterans, who make up nearly a third of the federal workforce.
More than 240,000 veterans went without pay during the shutdown, according to the Union Veterans Council.
—Tess Bonn
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