August 27, 2025
Dear Dr. Kershaw,
Thank you for taking the time to share your views regarding our Nation’s veterans.
The selfless men and women who have served our Nation in uniform committed their lives to defending our families, our freedom, and our great American values. With unmatched courage and strength, they protected our way of life from our enemies and forged the greatest country the world has ever known. Every American owes our veterans an eternal debt of gratitude, and under my leadership, they will always have the loyalty, respect, and support they have earned and so dearly deserve.
However, for too many decades, feckless politicians failed to pay the debt owed to the best among us, leading to shameful outcomes on veteran healthcare, housing, and employment. The Federal Government will betray these heroes no longer.
My Administration is fighting to make things right, building on the successes we had in my first term—such as holding bureaucrats accountable at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and freeing veterans to seek the healthcare providers of their choice. Since retaking office, I signed an Executive Order to build the National Center for Warrior Independence, which will house up to 6,000 homeless veterans by 2028. I signed into law the historic One Big Beautiful Bill, making the 2017 Trump Tax Cut permanent and ending taxes on Social Security for most seniors, relieving some of the financial burden for veterans on fixed incomes. We are also streamlining the VA—making it lean and mean—and have already slashed its backlog by 37 percent in less than 8 months, compared to a 24 percent increase in veterans waiting to receive their benefits under my predecessor. We have opened 16 new veteran health clinics throughout the country, made it easier for veterans to pass on their benefits to their survivors, and ended DEI and transgender lunacy at the VA so we can use taxpayer dollars on programs that actually help those in need—and we are just getting started.
As Commander in Chief, my loyalty will always be to the brave men and women who risked their lives to protect our national sovereignty. And as President, I am bringing common sense back to the VA and, most importantly, putting America’s veterans first.
Sincerely,
