Del. Reid for Loudoun Now: “Jason Miyares is too beholden to Trump’s extremism, which becomes clearer each day as the federal government undermines veterans’ care with no pushback.”
“Jones is the only candidate for attorney general who will stand up to Trump’s attacks and ensure our veterans have the care, support, and resources they deserve.”
Norfolk, VA – This weekend, Delegate David Reid published a powerful op-ed calling out MAGA Attorney General Jason Miyares’ failure to stand up to Donald Trump’s “relentless attacks on our veterans.” While Trump’s cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs workforce have led to “severe” shortages at hospitals – including a new VA healthcare center in Virginia that is operating without hundreds of doctors and nurses – Miyares has been “too busy ‘bending the knee’ to Trump to hold him accountable for these losses and actually deliver for our veterans.”
In sharp contrast, Democratic candidate for Attorney General Jay Jones hosted a roundtable with veterans last week, where he outlined his plans to strengthen and defend veterans’ access to affordable, quality healthcare in the VA system and across the Commonwealth.
Read the full column below:
Loudoun Now: Reid: Don’t Be Fooled – Jason Miyares is Letting Donald Trump Attack Our Veterans
Del. David A. Reid | August 22, 2025
One of the proudest moments of my life was raising my right hand, taking the oath of office as a Navy Intelligence Officer, and serving my country for 23 years in the United States Navy. It was my chance to give back to a nation that has given me so much, and an opportunity and experience I will always treasure.
That’s why I’m outraged by the Trump administration’s relentless attacks on our veterans – and so greatly disappointed by our Attorney General Jason Miyares’ failure to stand up to Trump on their behalf for the last seven months.
Trump’s cuts to the federal workforce have resulted in “severe” shortages at Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals, including the loss of “thousands of healthcare professionals deemed ‘core’ to the system’s ability to function and ‘without which mission-critical work cannot be completed.’” By the end of next month, this number is expected to increase even more as Trump plans to cut the Department by an additional 30,000 workers, all of whom have dedicated their careers to helping our veterans. Those same veterans, who like me, took an oath to protect and defend our freedoms.
The impact is unprecedented: 2,000 registered nurses, 1,300 medical assistants, 1,100 nursing assistants, 800 doctors, 500 social workers, and 150 psychologists – core medical professionals all fired or pushed out. At VA facilities across the country, 94% already have a shortage of doctors, 79% have a shortage of nurses, and a majority have a shortage of police officers “who keep veteran patients and staff safe.”
We’re already feeling the cuts here in Virginia. The new Fredericksburg Veterans Affairs Healthcare Center has the potential to create 750 to 900 new jobs, but due to Trump’s policies, the facility is understaffed by over 500 doctors and nurses, leaving tens of thousands of veterans in the area without the critical healthcare they need.
Meanwhile, our strongest line of defense, Attorney General Miyares, is too busy “bending the knee” to Trump to hold him accountable for these losses and actually deliver for our veterans.
Miyares refused to join other attorneys general in fighting back against the federal workforce cuts that led to this – including the 1,000 VA employees fired just days into the new administration – instead, standing back and letting Trump take the axe to Virginia workers who drive our economy, communities, and health care systems.
To add insult to injury, under Trump’s sweeping tax bill – which Jason Miyares opted out of challenging – veterans may now be denied food stamps, despite nearly one in four veterans living in a household receiving SNAP benefits.
That’s not how we treat people who have worn the uniform. Who have sacrificed for our freedoms. Who stood the watch so we could live free.
Virginia has a proud tradition of honoring and protecting the more than 612,000 veterans in the Commonwealth. But Jason Miyares is too beholden to Trump’s extremism, which becomes clearer each day as the federal government undermines veterans’ care with no pushback.
Miyares will argue that his lawsuit challenging Trump demonstrates that he’s not in the pocket of the GOP – but after refusing to join other attorneys general once in challenging Trump over firing our federal workers, freezing school funding, attacking abortion rights, or his disastrous tariffs, voters know that last minute attempt this is nothing more than political cover meant to save his MAGA-fueled campaign.
We need an attorney general who will fight for our veterans – Democrats and Republicans – not to merely protect for their own political future. Jay Jones is that leader. This week, Jones sat down with veterans in Fredericksburg, where he heard about the difficulties they and their families are facing in finding the care that they need and deserve because of Trump’s harmful cuts.
Jones has made it clear: he is the only candidate for attorney general who will stand up to Trump’s attacks and ensure our veterans have the care, support, and resources they deserve – whether it’s defending their access to affordable, quality healthcare, supporting veterans’ courts and treatment programs, or protecting them against discrimination in the housing process.
Our veterans fought for us, and it’s time we fight for them. This November, we must choose a leader who will defend democracy, protect the rule of law, and honor the service of those who have given so much.
