- Veterans and neighbors stood at the historic Capitol Friday to protest cuts at the Department of Veteran Affairs.
- Under the Trump administration, the Department of Government Efficiency plans to gut 83,000 jobs from the VA.
- Watch now to hear from veterans at the protest describe how this would affect them.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Yet another demonstration in front of the capitol building Friday -- this one for the men and women who served the United States.
"We're the heart and blood of the United States, and we're here to make sure the United States doesn't go anywhere."
I'm Alberto Camargo in the Downtown Tallahassee neighborhood.
Learning why veterans and neighbors organized Friday, and what changes they'd like to see.
Friday's demonstration was another edition of the 50-50-1 movement.
50 protests — 50 state capitols — 1 day.
The focus: plans at the federal level to make government more efficient, but at the cost of about 83,000 jobs in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Veterans like Gary Tisdale say efficiency is not worth the trouble its going to cause.
"It's just going to make things worse, that's all it's going to do. The VA is overworked and overcrowded now, they don't have the people to take care of the veterans out there."
"I don't know if when I go out there next time, whether they're going to be there!"
"The VA is understaffed, never mind coming in to gut them."
Iraq War veteran Mattie Ward says losing VA healthcare workers will impact each and every one of the 13,000 veterans who call Leon County home.
"They're the social workers, they're the person that helps you make an appointment, they're the psychologist, the psychiatrist, your primary care physician, you develop a relationship with them over decades. And for them to be suddenly dismissed, it's devastating for the community."
I reached out to the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs to find out how many Leon County veterans are in the federal workforce and how many may be affected by federal cuts.
A spokesperson told me they don't keep track of those numbers, that's up to the federal government.
Neighbors I spoke with tell me that they plan to continue the demonstrations with another 50-50-1 protest at the capitol on April 5.
In Downtown Tallahassee, Alberto Camargo, ABC27.
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