Donald Trump’s top lawyer Alina Habba defended the firing of thousands of U.S. military veterans on Tuesday, claiming they “perhaps” aren’t capable of doing their jobs.
“You know, we care about veterans tremendously…. But at the same time, we have taxpayer dollars, we have a fiscal responsibility to use taxpayer dollars to pay people that actually work,” Habba told reporters on Tuesday. “That doesn’t mean that we forget our veterans by any means, we are going to care for them in the right way, but perhaps they’re not fit to have a job at this moment or not willing to come to work.”
“And we can’t, you know, I wouldn’t take money from you and pay somebody and say sorry, you know, they’re not going to come to work,” Habba said. “It’s just not acceptable.”
Alina Habba on veterans who have been fired from government jobs: “Perhaps they’re not fit to have a job at this moment.” pic.twitter.com/ySBROh6Bcq
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 4, 2025
As part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s purge of the federal government, Trump and Elon Musk have fired an estimated 6,000 veterans from the federal workforce as of last week. Veterans make up one-third of the federal workforce.
The mass firings have also exacerbated a longtime staffing shortage at the Department of Veteran Affairs. More than 2,000 VA employees have been fired since Trump took office, hindering their ability to seek health care or adjudicate their disability claims.
Last week, DOGE also canceled over 800 contracts that help VA employees with hiring as well as offering medical services and cancer programs, though some of the cancellations have since been walked back, making things even more confusing.
The cuts have sparked outrage among veterans and Democratic lawmakers. The two groups have banded together against the president, despite an estimated 65 percent of veterans who voted in the 2024 election having backed Trump, according to exit polling.
“Donald Trump and Elon Musk are utterly betraying our veterans–indiscriminately firing men and women who have served our nation in uniform and endangering the care and benefits they deserve and have earned,” Democratic Senator Patty Murray said in a statement last week.
But Habba justified Trump’s attack on veterans, arguing that it’s their fault they no longer have a job. Her comments come shortly before Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday evening, where a number of Democrats have invited fired federal employees— including veterans—as their guests.
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