Politics, Parties, Candidates
Here's a look at documents from politicians, candidates and interested parties
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Mich. Democratic Party: What They are Saying - Duggan Protests Signature Requirement--But It's Lower for Him
LANSING, Michigan, May 12 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release on May 11, 2026:
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WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: Duggan Protests Signature Requirement--But It's Lower for Him
On Friday afternoon, MAGA-funded candidate for governor Mike Duggan posted a video protesting his signature requirement, and in the video, Duggan falsely claimed that he was required to submit 30,000 signatures. In reality, the requirement for candidates with no party affiliation is 12,000--less than the candidates with party affiliation.
"This can't be legal!" Duggan said, claiming the signature
... Show Full Article
LANSING, Michigan, May 12 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release on May 11, 2026:
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WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: Duggan Protests Signature Requirement--But It's Lower for Him
On Friday afternoon, MAGA-funded candidate for governor Mike Duggan posted a video protesting his signature requirement, and in the video, Duggan falsely claimed that he was required to submit 30,000 signatures. In reality, the requirement for candidates with no party affiliation is 12,000--less than the candidates with party affiliation.
"This can't be legal!" Duggan said, claiming the signaturerequirement for him is double that of party-affiliated candidates. But Duggan was lying.
Here's what people are saying:
* Simon Schuster of Bridge Michigan noted that "Duggan needs 12,000 signatures to make the ballot, not 30,000 as he implies here." A federal court in 2019 lowered the signature threshold for candidates with no party affiliation and extended the deadline.
* Michigan Advance reported on Duggan's misleading messaging when it comes to the signatures he needs to collect, writing that "in November, he told WLUC in the Upper Peninsula that 'to be an independent, I need to file 13,000 signatures, and I'm on the November ballot. So I will be on the November ballot,' and in January, he made similar statements to WPHM in Port Huron, this time citing a 12,000 signature minimum."
* Michigan election lawyer Mark Brewer wrote that "this is a lie: independent statewide candidates actually need fewer signatures to get on the ballot than the major party candidates."
* Lily Guiney of Gongwer Michigan noted that Duggan's post was a "bit misleading."
* State Senator Sam Singh asked "Why does [Duggan] continue to mislead voters?" before writing that "he knows he only has to file 12,000 signatures which is 3,000 less than his opponents. In addition, he has an extra 86 days to get them while all of the other candidates running for Governor turned them in last month. Facts matter."
This isn't the first time a Duggan social media post has caused controversy. Earlier this year, Duggan deleted a post claiming that he had support from multiple unions that have, in fact, not endorsed his campaign. In April, Duggan deleted another post, this time when he enraged Michigan State University fans.
Read key excerpts below.
Michigan Advance (https://michiganadvance.com/2026/05/08/duggan-protests-signature-threshold-for-independents-but-its-lower-for-him-than-party-candidates/): Duggan protests signature threshold for independents -- but it's lower for him than party candidates
* Independent gubernatorial candidate and former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan posted a video to X saying that, as an independent candidate, he would need to collect 30,000 signatures on a candidate petition in order to make the ballot for the November general election.
* "This can't be legal!" Duggan posted on Friday afternoon, saying that it takes twice as many signatures for an independent candidate to make the ballot than for a candidate who is a member of a party "because they wrote the rules."
* But Michigan Department of State guidance says otherwise -- a petition manual for "Candidates Without Political Party Affiliation," released in February 2026, states that a gubernatorial candidate must submit a minimum of 12,000 signatures, with a maximum of 60,000.
* That's less than it takes for a member of a party to make the August primary ballot, which requires a minimum of 15,000 signatures and allows for a maximum of 30,000 signatures.
* The manual and other Department of State guidance notes this, specifically citing that "the minimum number of signatures required for non-affiliated candidates seeking statewide office was reduced from 30,000 to 12,000" based on that case.
* Duggan's video included headlines about the court's ruling against the prior 30,000 signature requirement, but did not clarify that those requirements are no longer in place.
* Duggan has made a number of statements in interviews regarding the number of signatures required to make the ballot since declaring his candidacy.
* In November, he told WLUC in the Upper Peninsula that "to be an independent, I need to file 13,000 signatures, and I'm on the November ballot. So I will be on the November ballot," and in January, he made similar statements to WPHM in Port Huron, this time citing a 12,000 signature minimum.
* But then Duggan's messaging began to change -- in April, at a town hall hosted by WSJM in St. Joseph, he said, "I get on the ballot by filing 30,000 signatures. And so I need help, and I need petitions from every county." He similarly said in a February interview with Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff, a podcast affiliated with Righteous Media, that he needs 30,000 signatures.
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Original text here: https://michigandems.com/what-they-are-saying-duggan-protests-signature-requirement-but-its-lower-for-him/
Mich. Democratic Party: Column - Mike Rogers Slammed for Dismissing Skyrocketing Michigan Gas Prices [Detroit News]
LANSING, Michigan, May 12 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release:
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COLUMN: Mike Rogers Slammed for Dismissing Skyrocketing Michigan Gas Prices [Detroit News]
Out-of-touch GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers continues to face backlash for dismissing Michiganders' concerns as gas prices near $5 a gallon. In a new column for The Detroit News, Bankole Thompson said Rogers "doesn't seem to worry" about skyrocketing gas prices because he was more concerned with "partisan performance" than lowering costs for Michigan families.
During a recent campaign event, Price Hike
... Show Full Article
LANSING, Michigan, May 12 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release:
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COLUMN: Mike Rogers Slammed for Dismissing Skyrocketing Michigan Gas Prices [Detroit News]
Out-of-touch GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers continues to face backlash for dismissing Michiganders' concerns as gas prices near $5 a gallon. In a new column for The Detroit News, Bankole Thompson said Rogers "doesn't seem to worry" about skyrocketing gas prices because he was more concerned with "partisan performance" than lowering costs for Michigan families.
During a recent campaign event, Price HikeMike dismissed a Michigander concerned with paying more at the gas pump, saying "We're gonna be fine, we got plenty of oil." Thompson says these dismissive comments are an example of how Rogers has "failed" to address rising costs, and "People should not pay for failed leadership in November."
Read more:
Detroit News (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/columnists/bankole-thompson/2026/05/10/gas-prices-hit-families-hard-gop-candidates-questioned-michigan/89991328007/): Empty rhetoric isn't enough to address rising gas prices | Thompson
* Those on fixed incomes and communities that are struggling to get by, as well as families taking their children to school, are feeling the pain the most. That includes the single mother in Detroit or the Upper Peninsula who has to balance rent, utilities and childcare because the spike in gas prices is exposing them to more financial hardship.
* The economic shock that people are feeling from the pump doesn't seem to worry some GOP candidates. Take, for example, Mike Rogers, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, who reportedly said, "We're gonna be fine, we got plenty of oil" during an event at Oakland University in March.
* Rogers and his ilk cannot offer empty rhetoric on the fuel crisis, which is exposing the broader affordability issue in the nation. Instead of partisan performance that is often the standard talking point on cable television and at town hall meetings, there needs to be a serious national conversation about how things are not getting better economically.
* Ordinary people who are standing at gas stations and watching their paychecks disappear as soon as they fill their tank need solutions.
* What connects the poor and working class in both urban and rural Michigan is the gas prices. For some, driving is not optional; it is a means of survival. If fuel cost is draining household budgets in an already battered inflationary economy, and GOP candidates are not putting up tangible solutions or speaking out about it because they are afraid of Trump, they have failed.
* People should not pay for failed leadership in November.
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Original text here: https://michigandems.com/new-column-mike-rogers-slammed-for-dismissing-skyrocketing-michigan-gas-prices-detroit-news/
ICYMI: Cornyn-Paxton Senate Runoff Grows Increasingly Bitter as GOP Unity Fears Mount [Houston Chronicle]
WASHINGTON, May 12 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release:
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ICYMI: Cornyn-Paxton Senate Runoff Grows Increasingly Bitter as GOP Unity Fears Mount [Houston Chronicle]
In case you missed it, the Texas GOP is facing "the worst chasm within the Texas Republican Party since it consolidated power [...] nearly a quarter-century ago" as the "increasingly personal attacks" between floundering incumbent John Cornyn and scandal-plagued Ken Paxton continue to "fracture" the party.
Paxton and Cornyn's "mutual eye-poking and nose-bloodying will continue and
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, May 12 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release:
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ICYMI: Cornyn-Paxton Senate Runoff Grows Increasingly Bitter as GOP Unity Fears Mount [Houston Chronicle]
In case you missed it, the Texas GOP is facing "the worst chasm within the Texas Republican Party since it consolidated power [...] nearly a quarter-century ago" as the "increasingly personal attacks" between floundering incumbent John Cornyn and scandal-plagued Ken Paxton continue to "fracture" the party.
Paxton and Cornyn's "mutual eye-poking and nose-bloodying will continue andintensify" as the runoff drags on and further divides Republicans, with "weak" and "ineffective" "RINO" John Cornyn, who claimed "President Trump's time has passed him by," facing backlash from the MAGA base after he amplified a social media post by "Republicans Against Trump."
See for yourself:
Houston Chronicle: Cornyn-Paxton Senate runoff grows increasingly bitter as GOP unity fears mount (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/columns/article/texas-senate-paxton-cornyn-republican-runoff-22249941.php)
* Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick warned last month that the bruising Republican U.S. Senate runoff between incumbent John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton could fracture the Texas GOP. A month later, the increasingly personal attacks between the two Republicans appear to be proving him right.
* Patrick aired his fears before the Texas Public Policy Foundation, an influential conservative think tank, that the Paxton-Cornyn race would cause the worst chasm within the Texas Republican Party since it consolidated power in Austin nearly a quarter-century ago.
* The Mother's Day ad is one of a barrage of broadsides fired by the Cornyn camp since Paxton announced his challenge to the four-term incumbent last year. And it came soon after Paxton took aim at Cornyn in an ad by his super PAC targeting the senator's decades-long career as an elected official. The piece takes viewers back to 1984 with images of pop stars from the era, the dawn of the computer generation and Ronald Reagan's presidency.
* Patrick [...] raised the possibility that the Senate runoff might wound the winning candidate so badly that it would not only set up the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee, state Rep. James Talarico of Austin, to glide to victory in November, but also depress GOP turnout and allow the Texas House to slip from Republican control.
* Polling since Patrick's appearance at TPPF on April 8 appears to bear out those fears. A poll last month by the Texas Politics Project showed that Talarico leads both Republicans [...]. More concerning for Republicans, however, is that while eight in 10 Democrats said they are firmly in the corner of their party's Senate nominee, Republican support for whoever emerges from the runoff is less certain.
* Only 62% of Republicans said they'd vote for Paxton over Talarico. And Cornyn fared slightly worse, with just 60% promising to check the box for him.
* There's still a ways to go before early voting starts May 18 and the actual runoff begins, which likely means the mutual eye-poking and nose-bloodying will continue and intensify. What remains unclear is whether, after months of mutual destruction, Republicans can reunify once the runoff ends.
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Original text here: https://www.dscc.org/article/icymi-cornyn-paxton-senate-runoff-grows-increasingly-bitter-as-gop-unity-fears-mount-houston-chronicle/
Democratic Governors Association: Washington Post - "Republicans Who Denied 2020 Election Results Could Be Governors Next Year"
WASHINGTON, May 12 -- The Democratic Governors Association posted the following news on May 11, 2026:
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The Washington Post: "Republicans Who Denied 2020 Election Results Could Be Governors Next Year"
New reporting from The Washington Post details how Republican election deniers could win the GOP nomination for governor "in several of the country's biggest battleground states," setting them up to hold "key oversight roles in the 2028 presidential election," if they win this November.
Of Andy Biggs in Arizona, Burt Jones in Georgia, Stacy Garrity in Pennsylvania, Tom Tiffany in Wisconsin,
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, May 12 -- The Democratic Governors Association posted the following news on May 11, 2026:
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The Washington Post: "Republicans Who Denied 2020 Election Results Could Be Governors Next Year"
New reporting from The Washington Post details how Republican election deniers could win the GOP nomination for governor "in several of the country's biggest battleground states," setting them up to hold "key oversight roles in the 2028 presidential election," if they win this November.
Of Andy Biggs in Arizona, Burt Jones in Georgia, Stacy Garrity in Pennsylvania, Tom Tiffany in Wisconsin,and John James in Michigan, "none agreed to be interviewed," but all have embraced a strategy of openly defending their efforts to undermine the 2020 election results. Many have been rewarded with Trump's coveted endorsement, proving "baseless claims that the election was stolen have become an article of faith within the Republican Party".
DGA Chair and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear slammed the GOP election deniers, saying "Almost everyone in this economy is struggling because of [Trump] and these folks that are running, these election deniers, were willing to do anything for this president. So, their past attempts to steal an election were to steal it for a guy that's made life tougher. They're certainly not going to stand up to him to try to make life easier."
Read more from The Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/05/11/election-governor-deniers-trump/):
* Political figures who took leading roles in trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election appear on track to win the Republican Party's nomination for governor in several of the country's biggest battleground states, including Arizona, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
* ... victories in this year's midterm elections would give Trump supporters who were central to his efforts to overturn the election key oversight roles in the 2028 presidential election, for which states hold main authority.
* At least 30 [candidates] have embraced overhauling election policies. Some promise to fight voter fraud and cheating, while others reference what they call "election integrity" policies such as mandatory voter ID and limitations on mail-in ballots, a Washington Post analysis of 145 Republican gubernatorial candidate websites shows.
* In Arizona, Rep. Andy Biggs, the overwhelming favorite to win the Republican nomination for governor, was central to the Republican effort in 2020 to block certification of the election results. Biggs, who is running with Trump's endorsement, joined a friend-of-the-court brief in the Texas lawsuit aimed at voiding the election results in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin -- all states Trump won in 2016 and that Biden carried four years later.
* Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, a Republican presidential elector in the state in 2020, signed an official-looking certificate that claimed Trump won in Georgia and pushed for a special session aimed at making it a reality. Jones is in a competitive race to win the Republican gubernatorial nomination in Georgia.
* Stacy Garrity, Pennsylvania's Republican treasurer, who has Trump's endorsement for the gubernatorial nomination, told a crowd gathered at the state capitol on Jan. 5, 2021, that "the election from this November is tarnished forever." At a campaign event with Trump in 2022, she said, "We know that he won."
* And in Wisconsin, Rep. Tom Tiffany, another Trump-backed candidate favored to win the GOP nomination for governor, voted to overturn Biden's wins in Pennsylvania and Arizona and said he would have done the same for Wisconsin if such a vote had been held.
* Michigan has two election skeptics vying for votes. One of them, Rep. John James (R), asked a crowd last month if they believed Democratic state officials "screwed Trump in 2020" and promised on his website to take citizens off the voter rolls. And state Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt told the Midland Daily News he believed Trump won the state in 2020.
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Original text here: https://democraticgovernors.org/updates/the-washington-post-republicans-who-denied-2020-election-results-could-be-governors-next-year/
DNC: Trump's Cuts to Healthcare Have Jeopardized Americans' Lives and Hiked Prices for Millions
WASHINGTON, May 12 -- The Democratic National Committee posted the following news release on May 11, 2026:
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Trump's Cuts to Healthcare Have Jeopardized Americans' Lives and Hiked Prices for Millions
Donald Trump participated in a maternal healthcare event today where he attempted to spin his administration's disastrous record on healthcare. In reality, Trump and Republicans' massive cuts to healthcare have spiked costs for millions of Americans or forced them to forgo care entirely and put hundreds of rural hospitals and clinics at risk of closing their doors across the country.
First,
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, May 12 -- The Democratic National Committee posted the following news release on May 11, 2026:
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Trump's Cuts to Healthcare Have Jeopardized Americans' Lives and Hiked Prices for Millions
Donald Trump participated in a maternal healthcare event today where he attempted to spin his administration's disastrous record on healthcare. In reality, Trump and Republicans' massive cuts to healthcare have spiked costs for millions of Americans or forced them to forgo care entirely and put hundreds of rural hospitals and clinics at risk of closing their doors across the country.
First,Trump and Republicans' Big Ugly Bill slashed $1 TRILLION from Medicaid, gutting healthcare for millions and putting 900 rural hospitals at risk of closure. Then, they refused to extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, which hiked monthly premiums for over 20 million Americans. Despite Trump's repeated claims that drug prices have come down, nearly all of the drugmakers involved with TrumpRX have continued to raise the cost of hundreds of medications and launched new ones at an average price of $353,000 a year.
To top it off, Trump, the self-proclaimed "father of fertility," has fallen far short on his promises to increase access to IVF and make it more affordable. Two years ago, Trump promised, "The government is going to pay for [IVF], or we're going to get -- we'll mandate your insurance company to pay for it." However, the White House reportedly abandoned plans late last year to require insurers to cover IVF, and their guidance is unlikely to meaningfully lower costs or increase coverage and access to IVF.
In response, DNC Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer released the following statement:
"Donald Trump and Republicans slashed healthcare for millions of Americans and caused prices to skyrocket, and no amount of spin will change that. Working families are being pushed to the brink, forced to choose between paying for basic necessities like rent and groceries or the cost of a trip to the doctor or their life-saving prescriptions. Americans are tired of footing the bill for massive tax handouts for billionaires, while Trump slashes their healthcare. While Republicans gamble with Americans' health, Democrats are focused on lowering costs and making healthcare more affordable."
According to recent polling, nearly half of U.S. adults say it is difficult to afford healthcare costs, and more than one-third say that in the past year, they have skipped or postponed getting care because of high costs. More than 40% of adults say they have not taken their medication as prescribed because of costs. Healthcare remains one of Americans' most important issues, as over 60% of Americans say they worry a "great deal" about the availability and affordability of healthcare.
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Original text here: https://democrats.org/news/trumps-cuts-to-healthcare-have-jeopardized-americans-lives-and-hiked-prices-for-millions/
DNC: Ted Cruz Admits "Dirty Little Secret" - Trump Accounts Are a Way to Privatize Social Security
WASHINGTON, May 12 -- The Democratic National Committee posted the following news release on May 11, 2026:
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Ted Cruz Admits "Dirty Little Secret": Trump Accounts Are a Way to Privatize Social Security
Last week, Senator Ted Cruz admitted to the "dirty little secret" that "Trump Accounts are personal Social Security accounts." Personal accounts have been pushed for decades as a way to privatize Social Security, and now Trump and MAGA Republicans are picking up the torch to undermine our seniors. Social Security is a lifeline for millions of American seniors who rely on the program to retire
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, May 12 -- The Democratic National Committee posted the following news release on May 11, 2026:
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Ted Cruz Admits "Dirty Little Secret": Trump Accounts Are a Way to Privatize Social Security
Last week, Senator Ted Cruz admitted to the "dirty little secret" that "Trump Accounts are personal Social Security accounts." Personal accounts have been pushed for decades as a way to privatize Social Security, and now Trump and MAGA Republicans are picking up the torch to undermine our seniors. Social Security is a lifeline for millions of American seniors who rely on the program to retirewith dignity after years of hard work, yet Donald Trump and Republicans have repeatedly gone after the program.
Reminder: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent previously admitted that Trump's Big Ugly Bill is a "backdoor" to privatizing Social Security. Then, Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Bisignano confessed that the Trump administration is open to raising the retirement age. Dr. Oz, Director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has repeatedly pushed to raise the retirement age, saying Americans should "work longer."
In response, DNC Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer released the following statement:
"Ted Cruz just admitted what we knew all along: Donald Trump and Republicans are on a mission to gut the hard-earned benefits older Americans rely on. Trump promised American seniors that their Social Security benefits would be 100% safe, but that's turning out to be another one of his lies. Americans should be able to retire with a sense of financial security after working their whole lives -- and Republicans want to rip that away so Trump can give massive tax cuts to his wealthy donors. Make no mistake: Democrats are fighting back to ensure our seniors can retire with dignity and receive their hard-earned benefits."
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Original text here: https://democrats.org/news/ted-cruz-admits-dirty-little-secret-trump-accounts-are-a-way-to-privatize-social-security/
DNC Launches New Mini-Documentary Featuring Vietnam War Veteran Condemning Trump's Deadly and Costly War With Iran
WASHINGTON, May 12 -- The Democratic National Committee posted the following news release on May 11, 2026:
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DNC Launches New Mini-Documentary Featuring Vietnam War Veteran Condemning Trump's Deadly and Costly War With Iran
Trump's war with Iran puts servicemembers' lives at risk as veterans back home see benefits rolled back
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Today, the DNC released a new mini-documentary featuring Vietnam War veteran William Mitchell Ellerby, who shares his personal story about fighting in the Vietnam War and his perspective on Donald Trump's war with Iran. Trump's war with Iran has already claimed
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, May 12 -- The Democratic National Committee posted the following news release on May 11, 2026:
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DNC Launches New Mini-Documentary Featuring Vietnam War Veteran Condemning Trump's Deadly and Costly War With Iran
Trump's war with Iran puts servicemembers' lives at risk as veterans back home see benefits rolled back
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Today, the DNC released a new mini-documentary featuring Vietnam War veteran William Mitchell Ellerby, who shares his personal story about fighting in the Vietnam War and his perspective on Donald Trump's war with Iran. Trump's war with Iran has already claimedthe lives of 14 U.S. servicemembers and injured hundreds of others -- and with no end in sight, servicemembers are still being put in harm's way.
While our brave servicemembers are putting their lives on the line, Trump and Republicans are decimating programs veterans rely on. In the documentary, William discusses how this administration is failing to honor its veterans by rolling back critical veteran services, such as healthcare and housing.
"Right now, today, I'm 79 years old. I can't enjoy life like I want to because of the dramatic burden it puts on a soldier's mind," said Vietnam War veteran William Mitchell Ellerby. "When you put your country at war, you put your children, your grandchildren, you put them at risk, and believe me, I don't want to see another war like Vietnam. That's why I'm not in favor of going to war in any shape, form, or fashion."
Trump and Republicans' devastating cuts have decimated VA programs that veterans depend on to secure a place to live, receive lifesaving health services, and run small businesses. To make matters worse, because of Trump and Republicans' refusal to extend the ACA premium tax credits, an estimated 267,000 non-senior veterans will lose their healthcare coverage.
Trump has a long record of disparaging servicemembers and veterans, from calling fallen soldiers "suckers" and "losers" to downplaying the traumatic brain injuries suffered by servicemembers in Iran as "not very serious."
Under Trump, morale among servicemembers has been taking a deep dive, especially since the breakout of Trump's war with Iran, with active duty members choosing to retire early or not reenlist after the expiration of their contracts.
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Original text here: https://democrats.org/news/dnc-launches-new-mini-documentary-featuring-vietnam-war-veteran-condemning-trumps-deadly-and-costly-war-with-iran/
