Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) was booed by constituents Saturday after he ended a town hall early when pressed about how cuts by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) would affect veterans.
Marshall announced the town hall this week, saying in a statement that he “value[s] and welcome the opportunity to hear directly from Kansans,” adding that he “looks forward to the opportunity to engage with them and learn more.”
But, when faced with his constituents’ concerns about DOGE cuts affecting veterans, Marshall fled.
In a video posted to X by the Heartland Signal, a constituent told Marshall that it is a “damn shame” that a “huge percentage” of jobs being cut by DOGE are veterans.
“I’m not a Democrat but I’m worried about the veterans,” another constituent said.
“I do have two more commitments today,” Marshall responded. “I appreciate everyone making the drive out and God bless America.”
Marshall then exited the room as his constituents yelled, “you said an hour!” “you’re not done!” and booed him.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has fired roughly 2,400 employees as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to cut government spending.
Earlier this week, Secretary Doug Collins announced that the VA temporarily suspended billions of dollars in planned contracts.
The affected VA contracts appeared to be linked to the PACT Act, a bipartisan law passed in 2022 under the Biden administration, designed to expand healthcare access for veterans.
The contracts slated for termination impacted several essential services including cancer care, toxic exposure assessments and disability ratings, which determine medical coverage and financial compensation for service-related injuries, according to the Associated Press.
In a statement, VA press secretary Pete Kasperowicz claims the cuts haven’t been finalized yet.
“We will not be eliminating any benefits or services to Veterans or VA beneficiaries, and there will be no negative impact to VA health care, benefits or beneficiaries. We are always going to take care of Veterans at VA. Period,” Kasperowicz added.
