White House adviser Alina Habba has a message for military veterans who lost their jobs under Donald Trump’s federal layoffs: She doesn’t feel sorry for them.
Habba, a longtime Trump loyalist and now one of his top advisers, dismissed concerns over the thousands of government workers—including veterans—who have been swept into unemployment under Trump’s aggressive cuts to the federal workforce.
Trump’s mass layoffs leave veterans in the cold
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—a controversial new Trump-era agency—has been on a firing spree since the president, alongside billionaire ally Elon Musk, vowed to “slash the deep state.” The Veterans Affairs Department alone axed 2,400 employees last month, while other agencies, from Homeland Security to the National Park Service, have also seen sweeping job cuts.
Yet when asked about the veterans affected, Habba made it clear she has no sympathy.
“I really don’t feel sorry for them,” she told reporters. “They should get back to work for the American people, like President Trump.”
Even veterans who had served their country weren’t spared her indifference. “Perhaps they’re not fit to have a job at this moment, or not willing to come to work,” she added.
Veterans hit back: ‘I served my country, and now they fired me’
Habba’s comments sparked immediate outrage among veterans across the country.
“I lost my job in the VA thanks to Donald Trump,” said Army veteran Jesus Tony Ruiz, per NBC. “I served my country, and now they fired me.”
Others slammed Habba’s remarks as tone-deaf and cruel, especially given that Trump repeatedly claims to champion veterans.
“It’s disgraceful,” said one former Department of Defense employee. “They cut our jobs, and now they insult us on the way out.”
More layoffs loom as Trump expands DOGE’s reach
The bloodbath isn’t over. Trump’s budget and personnel chiefs have told agencies to brace for more terminations in the coming weeks, despite a federal judge calling the mass firings ‘illegal.’ But legal challenges have so far failed to reinstate most of the terminated workers.
As the administration continues its purge of government employees, Habba’s latest remarks have only added fuel to the fire—proving once again that in Trump’s America, even veterans aren’t off-limits.
