The recent hit on President Trump in the Atlantic was based upon anonymous sources who would have us believe the president has no respect for veterans or their service or sacrifice. I disagree, based on the record.
The ones whom Trump supposedly besmirched two years ago were World War I veterans. Were I judging its veracity in relation to Trump’s record on veterans and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs policy today, I would certainly deem this story not to be credible.
In 2016, Trump won the votes of veterans by a 2 to 1 ratio. That margin is a big problem for Democrats, and the timing of the Atlantic article and the ads anti-Trump groups seemed to produce almost instantaneously upon its release all seem rather opportunistic.
The Atlantic is using technology to spread a false narrative about Trump. The lowest moments come when one anonymous source purports to have in-depth psychological expertise to diagnose the president’s inner thoughts and another source is a “four-star general” who lacks the courage to go on the record.
I am not anonymous. I want to judge Trump on his record on veterans’ issues. It is a record he can be proud of after years of neglect by his predecessors. The truth is that Trump has delivered for veterans more than any president in my lifetime.
After the Veterans Affairs scandal that rocked the nation in 2014, the department struggled with brand repair for the remainder of the Obama administration. Two major issues loomed: the need to hold bad employees accountable by firing them and the need to provide veterans with faster avenues for accessing healthcare instead of placing them in queues with unreasonable wait times.
Former President Barack Obama signaled the right moves early on, but then, like so many before him, he bowed before the American Federation of Government Employees. In the end, Obama and his appointees resisted the needed reforms until his administration was over. The key bill, the VA Accountability Act, would have given the secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs the needed authority to fire bad employees. Despite widespread bipartisan support, Obama issued a veto threat on the bill. He got it wrong and chose unions over veterans.
In contrast, Trump signed the VA Accountability Act. His leadership ushered in a new culture at the department related to the termination of bad employees. Trump also accelerated the use of private healthcare options and signed the VA Choice Act. These were bipartisan measures all hung up under the Obama administration. These pieces of legislation matter. These bills have changed the landscape of an agency reeling from multiple serious issues at once.
Trump appointed Veterans Affairs leaders whom he knew would get the job done. He has not accepted excuses from bureaucrats, the way past presidents have. Appeals have moved faster, and construction has been completed on things such as the Washington D.C. VA Medical Center Garage. Accountability has become swift.
The Atlantic can pass along allegations from behind the veil of anonymity about what Trump once said. But if you want to know what Trump thinks of veterans, look instead at his actions and his record on veterans’ issues.
I testified in front of Congress on the VA Accountability Act a few years ago. It was not until Trump signed the law, not until after Obama left office, that we finally saw needed modernization and reforms. Trump has been stronger on veterans’ issues than any president in my lifetime. Unlike the Atlantic’s sources, I feel confident saying that on the record.
Christopher Neiweem is an Iraq War Veteran and the president of the Neiweem Group.
