I’m not sure where to even start with this story. Again, Donald Trump hasn’t even been back in the White House for five full months, and we’ve already seen multiple stock market crashes, mass deportations, threats of an American invasion of Canada, threats of an American invasion of Greenland, a complete abdication of America’s NATO responsibilities, the vice president killing a pope, a growing Middle East war, the most insane tariff policy ever, ICE goons assaulting a US senator, political assassinations in Minnesota and the United States military conducting an illegal incursion ON AMERICAN SOIL. And I’m leaving out like two hundred other terrible things. Well, now the Trump administration has made it “legal” for Veterans Affairs doctors and medical staff to deny treatment to Democrats and unmarried veterans.
Doctors at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals nationwide could refuse to treat unmarried veterans and Democrats under new hospital guidelines imposed following an executive order by Donald Trump. The new rules, obtained by the Guardian, also apply to psychologists, dentists and a host of other occupations. They have already gone into effect in at least some VA medical centers.
Medical staff are still required to treat veterans regardless of race, color, religion and sex, and all veterans remain entitled to treatment. But individual workers are now free to decline to care for patients based on personal characteristics not explicitly prohibited by federal law. Language requiring healthcare professionals to care for veterans regardless of their politics and marital status has been explicitly eliminated.
Doctors and other medical staff can also be barred from working at VA hospitals based on their marital status, political party affiliation or union activity, documents reviewed by the Guardian show. The changes also affect chiropractors, certified nurse practitioners, optometrists, podiatrists, licensed clinical social workers and speech therapists.
In making the changes, VA officials cite the president’s 30 January executive order titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government”. The primary purpose of the executive order was to strip most government protections from transgender people. The VA has since ceased providing most gender-affirming care and forbidden a long list of words, including “gender affirming” and “transgender”, from clinical settings. Medical experts said the implications of rule changes uncovered by the Guardian could be far-reaching.
They “seem to open the door to discrimination on the basis of anything that is not legally protected”, said Dr Kenneth Kizer, the VA’s top healthcare official during the Clinton administration. He said the changes open up the possibility that doctors could refuse to treat veterans based on their “reason for seeking care – including allegations of rape and sexual assault – current or past political party affiliation or political activity, and personal behavior such as alcohol or marijuana use”.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is the nation’s largest integrated hospital system, with more than 170 hospitals and more than 1,000 clinics. It employs 26,000 doctors and serves 9 million patients annually.
I got two paragraphs into this article and my gut said “I bet this started out as an anti-transgender move.” I was right. These people are going to “defend women” back to the g–damn Stone Age. “We’re all about defending women, that’s why we’re giving VA doctors the right to refuse to treat rape victims and female veterans having miscarriages!” It’s not lost on me that Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth are two of the biggest drag queens in DC and yet they have a visceral hatred of “gender-affirming care.” Anyway, just a reminder – doctors swear to the hippocratic oath and to state medical boards. If you’re a veteran and you’re denied treatment, sue everybody and report the doctors to the medical board. This is a Supreme Court case waiting to happen.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, right, speaks as US Secretary of the Interior and Chair, National Energy Council and White House Energy Czar Doug Burgum, center, listens after US President Donald J Trump signed an executive order regarding nuclear energy in the Oval Office of the White House on May 23, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Trump signed a total of five executive orders aimed at easing restrictions and expanding the nuclear energy industry. Featuring: Pete Hegseth, Doug Burgum, Donald J Trump Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 23 May 2025 Credit: Samuel Corum/POOL via CNP/INSTARimages.com
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- United States President Donald J Trump participates in a swearing-in ceremony for Fox News host Jeanine Pirro as interim US Attorney for the District of Columbia, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US Featuring: Donald J Trump Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 27 Apr 2025 Credit: Chris Kleponis/POOL via CNP/INSTARimages.com
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- US President Donald J. Trump walks to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, USA 06 June 2025. Kilmar Abrego García is reportedly in federal custody and is returning to the US to face federal charges. Featuring: Donald J. Trump Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 06 Jun 2025 Credit: Shawn Thew/POOL via CNP/INSTARimages.com
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- US President Donald J. Trump walks to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, USA 06 June 2025. Kilmar Abrego García is reportedly in federal custody and is returning to the US to face federal charges. Featuring: Donald J. Trump Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 06 Jun 2025 Credit: Shawn Thew/POOL via CNP/INSTARimages.com
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- 250th anniversary of the United States Army with a military parade, which happens to coincide with US President Trump’s 79th birthday, is expected to cost up to 5 million and feature 6,600 soldiers, 50 helicopters and 60-ton M1 Abrams battle tanks Featuring: President Donald Trump Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 14 Jun 2025 Credit: POOL via CNP/INSTARimages.com
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- 250th anniversary of the United States Army with a military parade, which happens to coincide with US President Trump’s 79th birthday, is expected to cost up to 5 million and feature 6,600 soldiers, 50 helicopters and 60-ton M1 Abrams battle tanks Featuring: President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 14 Jun 2025 Credit: POOL via CNP/INSTARimages.com
Whaaaat?
I am shocked.
And I am not even American!
I am so sorry. This is … really painful.
Not in any way shocked. This is part of the project 2025 agenda.
Disgusted and horrified- absolutely.
also the “unmarried” thing, is the first step for when the make marriage between same sex couples illegal. So doctors and nurses can be super bigoted toward all non white “christian” people.
Also, the administration is doing their best to push out unibiased, decent people who just want to do their jobs/serve their country, in favor of maga “loyalists”.
Again, this is project 2025.
1/3 of our country voted for this.
and 1/3 of our country didn’t vote at all.
@Ariel “and 1/3 of our country didn’t vote at all.” So by default, ALSO voted for this.
The VA can now also deny employment to people based on political affiliation (Democrats) and union activity. Trump and Musk’s Project 2025 agenda has always been anti-union, anti-workers rights. That’s why they carried out the wholesale indiscriminate firing a federal workers – to prevent them from becoming union members with all the rights they would be afforded. The federal workers unions are among the last strong unions in the country.
My dad is a veteran and multiple medal recipient, a retired union worker, and a registered Democrat. It’s an outrage that he would be denied care. Writing my reps in Congress. Please do the same.
And all of the tech companies support anti-union policies and don’t care about what happens to regular people in terms of civil rights, so they supported Trump. Every decision is about supporting bigotry for money.
How many times do we have to say it? Cruelty is the point.
How in the world is this legal? It doesn’t make sense.
It isn’t legal under current law but the rule of law doesn’t matter anymore to the GOP.. the number of lawsuits the Trump administration and the GOP have caused trying to destroy America and American peoples rights is staggering. I still just don’t understand how was elected. I read project 2025 it was terrifying, I just hope the good guys win in the end.
There is no such thing as illegal in the us if it is what dumpster fire and heritage want. All law suits will end up at his supreme court which will do exactly as heritage wants.
This goes against federal law.
The vast, vast majority of VA staff at all levels are there to serve all veterans. Please understand this discrimination and other stupid, cruel directives do not originate with VA administration or medical staff. These workers deserve our respect and gratitude.
Of course, it’s illegal. But the rule of law is dead, remember? As for SCOTUS saving us, don’t hold your breath. You’ll pass out waiting.
Even the new director of the VA has come out to say they will be following federal law.
If he doesn’t do things Trumps way he won’t be director long.
Any doctor who follows this policy should lose their license. Period. Massive violation of their oath.
Hey American doctors and nurses, Canada is recruiting. Surprisingly competitive wages when you don’t have to pay out thousand in malpractice insurance premiums. Oh and one of the best parts? If a woman shows up in your ER with an ectopic pregnancy, or miscarriage in progress, etc., you can treat her right away! Seriously! No police or threat of jail! You can save her life and we won’t send you to prison! Neat huh?
Oh, this is going straight to the courts. Dump is getting sued for the billionth time.
If the Big Evil Bill gets passed in the Senate, it won’t matter what the courts say. That bill makes the judicial branch obsolete, and we will officially be in a dictatorship.
I’m so nervous about this big bloated bill being passed, God help us 🙏🏽
I don’t even know what to say. Barbaric.
If Republicans truly gave a fuck about defending women, there wouldn’t be a rapist POTUS to choose a rapist secretary of defense, or appoint another rapist to the Supreme Court. They wouldn’t toy with the idea of protecting the likes of Andrew Tate, or ponder whether or not to step in to keep Diddy out of prison.
Jesus. When do we start constructing the guillotines?
Sometimes I wonder if the sex traffickers and abusers are running the country.. with this administration it sure seems like it.
The guillotines were built Jan 6th, remember?
In what alt-reality have rethugs ever cared about defending women?
Rethugs protect legally-mandated walking wombs and the ‘unborn white citizens’. They have never had any interest in defending women.
So, this is in the same week that the Don co-opted the Army’s celebration in an attempt to celebrate himself — after already making major cuts to the VA, when many facilities and specialties were understaffed. Instead of an expensive parade, the VA deserves more money and access to care, not this twisted garbage.
When Trump got COVID during his first term, the efforts of NIH research (major cuts) and the Department of Defense health system saved Trump’s life. Now he’s setting up the VA system to deny healthcare to weapons-trained people in need of care. That does not seem to be well thought out on any number of levels. This particular batch of evil may bounce back in unanticipated ways.
This completely. He also forced military members to betray their oath by using them as a political backdrop in that stupid presser and then making them perform for the King like dancing monkeys at his stupid birthday parade.
I saw a sign from the protests on Saturday from an 80 year old man that said “I fought to defend my country and now I have to fight my country”.
I’ve never seen a POTUS with less respect for those who’ve served our country.
Army veteran here. I served 4 years, and deployed to Desert Storm. I received a letter in the mail that since I am not considered a disabled veteran, and I make more than $41,000 a year I can no longer be treated at the VA clinic. I can prove that I make much less than that. I sent in my proof a month ago, and haven’t heard anything back from them yet. The Veterans Affairs dept. has a lot to answer for
Thank you for your service. No veteran should ever be subjected to or treated like this.
Just a reminder to all that Trump dodged the draft in 1968. By claiming he had ‘bone spurs’ from a letter written by a podiatrist. That just happened to be a tenant of Trump’s father. What a koinkydink.
That’s a sliding door moment in history. Had this egotistical POS gone to Vietnam, he’d turn out to be different to what he is now. He’s been protected all his life.
I am old enough to recall when they attacked Clinton and Bush jr for just being in the national guard during Vietnam and the implication was that they didn’t really serve or tried to avoid serving.
Two decades later and an obvious draft dodger gets a total pass for cowardice and is one of the biggest war hawks out there.
Absolutely unconscionable. And I’m sure there are many more in your same position. Shameful.
Because of a one time cash infusion from a land sale, my 89 year old Army veteran father got the same letter.
All of this is such a betrayal of our veterans. – despicable.
But it is now par for the course.
They are implementing as much of project 2025 as possible, as fast as possible. Remember him denying any association with that demonic wish list during the campaign?
They will flood the zone, clog the courts, and ignore court orders.
Only the voluntarily blind didn’t see this coming.
That’s crazy! I’m sorry you’re going through this.
While I support healthcare paid with our tax dollars for our elected officials, henceforth, such coverage should be denied based on marital status – anyone holding nationwide elected office, who is twice divorced and married for the third time, should be denied taxpayer funded healthcare. Same for that person’s family members, even if the wife may need new “kidneys.”
👏👏👏
Like someone who cheated on all three of their wives.
I’ve been a registered nurse for 28 years. We also take an oath and carry a license issued by the state we practice in. If a nurse does this, report them to your state’s department of professional regulation.
My reaction to this is solely
WTF?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Just a friendly reminder that gender affirming care includes breast reduction surgery for men who have ingested so much steroids that they have grown breasts. In places like the VA, I’m guessing this is a more common occurrence than gender transitioning. And by the looks of some of these MAGA guys, they have now disqualified themselves from treatment at the VA or likely any military hospital.
Any MAGAts who support this have no right to call themselves patriots, wave the American flag, or do that thing at sporting events where everyone loses their minds for five minutes when the stadium announces that a veteran is in attendance. They do not care about them. This is state sanctioned murder by medical neglect of veterans who don’t align with the Trump cult and women who haven’t gotten married so they can push out babies for the cult.
I also want to add that anyone still flying a Trump flag in their yard should be absolutely ashamed of themselves. How could anyone support a president who ordered the killing our veterans?
The horror. The horror.
Many decisions by this government are to get rid of the sick, the weak and the retired. They are most probably perceive as useless to the country. I hope soldiers refuse to fight and put their ‘limbs’ and mind in danger since many are not insured of medical treatment.
This is so accurate, they see these people as useless and a burden on the Government purse ☹️ that’s what they see 🥹
Eugenics in action. Survival of the fittest. Get rid of the people who use their Medicare health insurance and take up a hospital bed. Get rid of Medicaid and let people die if they can’t afford private pay. Make insulin so unaffordable that diabetics will die and not be a drain on the health care system. Children with birth defects? Downs syndrome babies? Withhold treatment. No routine vaccinations. Let the children who get sick die off as they are not the fit, chosen ones. Our Veterans? He has already called the war injured “losers”. The list goes on and on.
😱😭🥺😬😤😡💪🤝
I’m hoping that our military turns on them. By the looks of his little “perade” our Army doesn’t like him.
My oldest son is in the Army, almost 20 years now. He was going to stay in for life but has decided that he cannot serve under either Trump or Hegseth and is leaving. He is so ashamed of not only his CIC but everyone else enabling the moron.
THIS is the sort of thing that scares me more than all the EO, etc. that make headlines. What is being passed, going on under the radar and behind the scenes that we only hear about from people reading the daily reports from Congress, tracking all the EO’s but who also unfortunately do not have the widely read/listened to podcasts, blogs, etc.
Is he just saying sh** now for the sake of saying sh**?
Is this what is going to push everyone over the edge? All veterans are not going to stand for this. Surely they will stand up for each other regardless of political affiliation and support each other.
He now knows from his little parade that our Army hates him.
EXECUTIVE ORDERS ARE NOT LAWS!!!!
Yeah I’m wondering if he did this to get revenge on the military because the parade was a flop and those soldiers were silently protesting with their casual walk and their squeaky tanks and playing the song “Fortunate Son”.
Good point, Sue. He is a vengeful and sad person.
Considering 61% of veterans voted for Trump, I’d say the majority of them are fine with it. This is mainly about targeting women and minorities (mostly LGBT+, but I’ve no doubt they’re planning to go after race/ethnicity at some point), which are the groups more likely to vote Democrat, so they can purge the ranks of anybody who isn’t “loyal” to the cause. Growing up in a military home, I’ve been warning friends for years about the people I knew going into the ranks. They’re conservative by a wide margin, and fair number of them don’t see this as a betrayal of the nation because, quite frankly, a lot of them don’t see a lot of liberals/progressives as fellow countrymen. They see them as a threat to what America is, and that’s only been exacerbated by social media radicalization.
I fear a lot of Democrats don’t understand that yet. It’s not that we’re tilting toward civil war but that we’ve been in one for awhile. It was just a cold war, fueled by siege tactics like rural areas exporting the poor and homeless into the large cities, refusal to update infrastructure, using media tactics to widen the rural/city divide, eating away women’s rights, increasing class inequity and weaponizing it against minorities, etc. Now it’s finally pouring over into actual military presence. Trust that they are biding their time for things to explode so they can utilize the Insurrection Act.
Are there good soldiers? Sure. I’m sure there are plenty of conscientious objectors, even across the board on both political sides, but not enough, IMO. Not from what the studies show. Twenty years of damaged veterans from Bush’s wars and the right wing media apparatus has done its dirty work to tear us apart.
He sucks and I blame the media for this red state versus blue BS that started under Trump 1.0.
I just cannot fathom how anyone with half a brain cell voted for this dumb pig and why our government continues to allow him to make illegal, dangerous and harmful executive orders and decisions that harms thousands and thousands of citizens. He’s so vile. I sort of want to adopt Mariah Carey’s absence-of-time reality until this clown is out of office.
My dad is an Air Force veteran, has three daughters, a granddaughter and several great-granddaughters, is now retired from his job living off social security, and yet somehow is STILL a Trump supporter who gives Trump a pass for everything. I just can’t understand it. One of my sisters is a nurse whose facility gets most of its funding from Medicare/Medicaid and she’s worried she’ll be out of a job. And still my dad doesn’t care. He told her she’s worrying over nothing when she said she was concerned about losing her job.
The Republikkkans are chaos agents incapable of leading and are deliberately crashing the economy and healthcare infrastructure. Gawd. They are just so fucking stupid and hateful.
Every time I think he can’t get worse, he does.
And now the Scammer is trying to take us into an illegal war on Iran.
If we are somehow able to come out on the other side of this nightmare, I will never EVER be able to knowingly socialize with anyone who voted for him.
Women are already denied some treatments under penalty of doctors, these people want apartheid back, people who think and look different (not like white men) should be allowed to be poor and sick without any support. Every doctor is still allowed to treat everyone, but a great many people are losing their insurance – when will it be like Germany in 1933? It is undeniable that these are the templates. Project 25 wants exactly that. What did that one miserable, horrible right-wing politician say? I can’t think of her name right now. “Well, everyone has to die, some sooner, some later.”
We all have to fight back everywhere. This virus is worse than corona.
This is totally illegal. This asshole is running the country with his sharpie pen, which is no doubt longer than the “mushroom” Stormy reported in his crotch. Outrageous!!!!
This is the trial run for denying social security and Medicare to Democrats.
Yep. And denying a whole lot of other things too.
Just let them try.