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Local residents hold peaceful rally against federal cuts that could affect veterans

LOCK HAVEN -- Dozens of local residents turned out to peacefully rally the Trump administration's federal funding cuts -- particularly those that can have an effect on veterans.

According to reports from The Associated Press, the Trump administration's move to end hundreds of Veteran Affairs contracts -- which were halted after public outcry -- and ongoing layoffs are affecting the nation's veterans, a critical and politically influential constituency.

More than nine million veterans get physical and mental health care from the VA, which is now being examined by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, the AP reported.

The rally, held Tuesday afternoon, was organized by the Clinton County Democratic Party and held in Veterans Park at the intersection of Jay and Water streets.

Individuals, including veterans, could be seen gathered at the intersection holding signs that demanded the administration not set its eyes on the VA, and review how other cuts within the federal government have affected veterans.

Local residents Shonah Hunt and Deb Meder -- who spearheaded the organization of the rally through the Clinton County Democratic Committee -- cited that approximately 30 percent of the Federal Civil Service employees are veterans.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, about one in four federal workers were veterans in 2024. The majority of these veterans were employed by the VA, the Department of Defense, branches of the military or the Department of Homeland Security.

About 20 percent of veterans in 2024, according to the bureau, worked in other agencies like the departments of transportation, agriculture, the interior, the treasury and health and human services.

These veterans, such as Gregg Bafundo, who spoke with the Associated Press, worked for US Forest Services. Bafundo, who served during the first Gulf War, told the AP he would have to consider returning to the VA for care -- having suffered nerve damage to his feet from carrying loads of weight as a Marine mortarman -- after being fired as a wilderness ranger and firefighter through these layoffs spearheaded by DOGE.

Tuesday's protest was keeping in mind individuals like Bafundo -- particularly local veterans.

"The purpose was to bring attention to the impact of current and proposed cuts in benefits and services at the Veterans Administration. We believe our vets need to be fully supported, especially with their medical care," Hunt and Meder said in a joint statement. "Reducing the staff at the VA will impact services, and Clinton County, with over 2,500 resident veterans, has the highest percentage (40 percent) of veterans with VA claims."

Meder and Hunt said they were happy with the turnout for the event -- with nearly 50 individuals turning out to show support for veterans at the park.

"Our goal was to raise awareness of the impact on the veterans in our county of these proposed cuts, and we achieved that with this rally," they said.

This protest was the first step of many to try and raise awareness for what the CCDC sees as dangerous moves being made at the federal level.

"This rally was just a first step in raising awareness of this issue," they said. "We hope to do more by communicating the facts regarding how our veterans will be impacted by cuts to federal funds."

The CCDC issued the following release following the rally on Tuesday:

"The Clinton County Democrats peacefully protested for Veterans on Tuesday, March 4th, at 4:30 p.m. in Veterans Park. There were nearly 50 people in attendance and the sentiment was clear: we want our Veterans treated better and Elon must go! Given the massive employee cuts to departments that Veterans work in but also to VA centers by DOGE, we wanted to show our support to a demographic that is so important.

"For the most part, the rally was met with positive honks, waves and thumbs up. There were several community members that came into the crowd of peaceful rally-goers who were outwardly angry at our presence, shouting profanities at us.

"As DOGE and the new Presidential Administration continue cutting funding and not tending to the nose-diving economy, rest assured that we'll be back to rally again."

Protests like the one held on Tuesday have been cropping up throughout the nation.

According to the AP, veterans have shown up at town hall-style meetings to voice their anger, and groups like the Veterans of Foreign Wars are mobilizing against cuts.

However, not all veterans are concerned with these cuts.

The AP reported a few former service members who felt the cuts would be necessary to fix an overall issue with government spending.

The news outlet recently spoke to Stephen Watson, who served in the Marines for 22 years and receives care through the Department of Veterans Affairs for a traumatic brain injury.

He told the AP he was willing to accept fewer visits to his VA doctor and forgo other conveniences as a matter of service to the county.

"Many veterans who voted for Trump understood this was going to be his policy and are now screaming bloody murder because the axe is going to fall upon the VA," Watson said. "And to me, that's just a little bit self-centered."

Bafundo had a different thought than Watson. He told the AP he sees the potential cuts and chances as falling back "on the little guy" and not that all Americans are making a sacrifice.