March 19, 2025

Duckworth, Senate Democratic Veterans Slam Trump and Musk for Erasing Legacy of American Military Heroes from Department of Defense Websites

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of both the U.S. Senate Armed Services (SASC) and Veterans’ Affairs Committees (SVAC)—led a group of her fellow Senate Democratic Veterans, including SASC Ranking Member Jack Reed, SVAC Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal, Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, in issuing the following joint statement rebuking President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, two greedy billionaires who never served a day in uniform, for purging dozens of pages from the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) websites—including the National Arlington Cemetery website—that detail the remarkable histories of great American military heroes:

“Republicans claim they want our military to remain the greatest fighting force in the world—but instead of focusing on improving our military readiness or countering foreign adversaries like China, Donald Trump and unelected billionaire Elon Musk are waging a pointless, counter-productive culture war that is hurting our military and denigrating the service of American heroes.

“We should be celebrating the heroes who have made our military stronger, allowing them to inspire the next generation to serve and defend our nation. By removing the records of Americans who bravely answered the call to serve our country in uniform, the Trump Administration is worsening our military’s recruitment crisis—discouraging eligible Americans from volunteering to serve and sending a message that their service to our country is not welcomed.

“Trump and Musk are already firing more Veterans than any Administration in modern history and gutting the VA. Now, they are seeking to erase American military heroes with the click of a button. It’s the latest betrayal from an Administration that continues to give the middle finger to our Veterans and their life of service.

“As Veterans ourselves, we know the Trump Administration can wipe out websites, but it can never erase the accomplishments and bravery of our servicemembers and Veterans. This Administration should be ashamed of wasting taxpayer money and precious time attacking American warriors who have earned our respect and honor from their sacrifices to our nation.”

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