Rally for Vets hits home for TD’s Nimmo

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May 23

Steve Nimmo of The Dalles is heading to Washington D.C. on D-Day, June 6, to rally against proposed cuts to Veterans Affairs Administration which is looking to cut 83,000 employees as the department provides over 100 million healthcare appointments annually to those that fought for the United States.

By Tom Peterson

The Dalles, Ore., May 22, 2025 — United States Veterans are commemorating the World War II landing on the beaches of Normandy France on June 6, 1944 with its own invasion this year.

They’re headed to D.C., and their ready to rally.

They hope to eclipse the 160,000 troops that landed on D-Day to end World War II and liberate Europe from the Nazis.

They intend to bring millions this June to confront attempts to cut services to veterans.

The Dalles’ Steve Nimmo said the The Unite for Veterans, Unite for America rally, hopes to bring 5 million people out to emphasize the need to preserve veterans' jobs and benefits and promote the protection of democratic principles.

The rally is being organized by the Unite for Veterans Coalition, a group of veterans from various advocacy organizations.

Nimmo hopes the rally will signal the turning point in the effort to reduce benefits to veterans.

“This is a perfect way to honor vets,” said Nimmo who served in the Navy Reserves. “This is a chance to show that words like ‘thank you for your service to our country’ are not shallow. We need to support these people. They were willing to fight for us, so we need to fight for them.”

National Mall in Washington D.C. will be the site of a rally to protect Veterans Benefits on June 6.

Nimmo is part of the Oregon Coalition that will go to protest cuts in Washington D.C. at the rally being held at the National Mall on June 6th.

Nimmo is also helping to organize others as they look for ways to participate in the rally. He can be reached at steve@raindroplaundry.com

Millions rely on VA / Big cuts announced

The Trump administration's proposed cuts to the VA, including layoffs and hiring freezes, have raised concerns about the ability to deliver care and benefits to veterans and their families. While VA officials state that health care and benefits are not being cut, staff are experiencing the consequences of cuts, including job losses and disruptions to patient care

Cuts are impacting staff at VA hospitals and clinics, potentially hindering their ability to provide care, including access to "life-saving cancer trials".

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has plans to reduce its workforce by 83,000 employees, which would include over 17% of the VA's workforce. This reduction is part of a broader effort by the administration to streamline government and reduce spending. While the VA has stated that they are not cutting veteran benefits or health care, but rather improving efficiency and reducing bureaucracy, some veterans and their advocates fear that these cuts could negatively impact access to care and support.

The Department of Veteran Affairs is the largest integrated health care system in the U.S., and currently has some 500,000 employees, most of whom work in one of the VA’s 170 hospitals and nearly 1,200 clinics. There are currently 9 million veterans receiving benefits.

In 2024, 6.7 million veterans and their survivors received benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), including $173 billion in compensation and pension benefits, according to the VA. It also provided 116 million healthcare appointments to veterans.

Additionally, 9.4 million veterans were receiving Social Security benefits, with almost one in four adult Social Security beneficiaries having served in the U.S. military, according to data from the Social Security Administration.