Veterans Gather to Do More Than Reminisce, Urge Rep. Kiggans to Save Their Health Care and Earned Benefits

Nov 12

Virginia Beach, VA – In celebration of our veterans’ contributions to Hampton Roads and beyond, Affordable Virginia and Common Defense hosted a town hall with Del. Jackie Glass, Del. Michael Feggans, and veterans from across the region who had served in each branch of the military.

Virginia is home to over 670,000 veterans, with over 78,000 calling Rep. Kiggans’ district home. Earlier this year, Rep. Kiggans voted for the Republican Tax Law, which made deep cuts to Medicaid and SNAP. 1 in 13 Virginia veterans rely on Medicaid to get their health care, and nearly 35,000 Virginia veterans are at risk of losing their SNAP benefits.

“When I retired from the Navy, I was proud of the work I did and the country I represented,” said Ken Sutton, resident of Virginia Beach. “I’m still proud of our country and the work I, my brothers and sisters in uniform did and continue to do, but I’m also worried about our future. This year, we saw folks’ benefits interrupted when DOGE took a sledgehammer to the VA, and then families took another hit when cuts were made to Medicaid, and now even more are losing their ACA tax credits. We were blessed with excellent access to health care while serving active duty, but it feels like everything we earned is gradually being chipped away in Congress. Our own Rep. Kiggans is a veteran and still voted to strip veterans of basic health care. I hope today she’s being reminded of who she serves now, and who she served with, and takes action to do better by all of us.”

“Our veterans have served and continue to serve our community,” said Emily Yeatts, Affordable Virginia Campaigns Director. “We heard from so many veterans today who each have a story about the importance of health care. Keeping our military families healthy should be a priority. There are over 5 million disabled veterans in the country. These are men and women who need ongoing care, and it’s offensive and embarrassing that people who have given so much have to scramble to get care. Rep. Kiggans claims to support our veterans, but has repeatedly supported cutting their health care. This shutdown is just another example of that. We are calling on Rep. Kiggans to protect veterans' healthcare and reverse her dangerous cuts.”

Amanda Pittman

Veterans Gather to Do More Than Reminisce, Urge Rep. Kiggans to Save Their Health Care and Earned Benefits

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