Travis McColley

Noem spent $20,000 on horse rentals, $3,800 on hair and makeup for Mount Rushmore ads: Dems trib.al/V12JEbm

@DOGE_DOW Unless you get injured in battle, you shouldn’t get disability. Pretty simple. Got shot, stabbed, blown up - benefits. If not, none.

The veteran community has got to stop tearing each other apart. Oh you were a reservist but not active? Not veteran enough. Oh you were active but didn’t deploy? I did so you aren’t veteran enough. Oh you deployed but didn’t see combat? Not veteran enough. Oh you saw combat but didn’t receive a Purple Heart or commendation? Not veteran enough. Oh you were decorated but not special operations? Yes, we all know there is difference between a lifelong special operations veteran with 8 combat deployments vs. someone who held a support role for 4 years and didn’t deploy. And we should rightfully hold reverence for those who did the hardest things and acquitted themselves with honor. But that reverence shouldn’t be weaponized to diminish the value of those who raised their right hand, in a time of war, when less than 1% do it on an annual basis in an all-volunteer force. The argument shouldn’t be those who served minimal time and didn’t see combat don’t have a right to resources from VA. The argument is how to make sure those who deserve it, get it. And believe me, there are plenty of people in DC, including at @DeptVetAffairs, who have dedicated their lives trying to make that happen. Sure, fraud exists. But for all the stories we see online about legitimate cases, @VetAffairsOIG data indicates it is not, in fact, rampant. And it leaves out historical context of VA being historically very slow to award benefits to generations of veterans until they’re old or already dead. Trying to claim fraud is run amok at VA serves to disincentivize those who need help from getting it, for fear they’re somehow taking resources away from veterans who need it more. It doesn’t. Ironically, these claims usually come from people who - despite being young and healthy for the last 20 years - never raised their right hand. Which is clear not because their claim is disrespectful (though it is), but because it’s lazy and not based on an understanding of the system itself. Any veteran will tell you, based on direct experience or through a person they served with, the VA healthcare and benefits system is a complex leviathan and difficult to navigate, which is why accredited representatives through orgs like @AmericanLegion exist. I wish it were easier, and it’s literally my full-time job trying to make it so. But it’s not. I run a team of 20+ accredited people representing veterans in initial claims, appeals, debt collection, pensions, etc. I just had a veteran’s claim finally granted after 12 years…12 YEARS…of fighting VA. He was in medical debt after paying for surgeries out of pocket because his condition hadn’t been determined service-connected. His backpay took care of most of it. And while this was an extreme case, it’s sadly not uncommon for claims and appeals to take years. So if you’re somehow operating under the illusion this is a slush fund of $ for a bunch of fraudsters gaming the system, especially if you have no experience with it, you should exercise your right to shut the hell up.