Good morning, Chicago.
When Ald. Matt O’Shea walked into his 19th Ward office yesterday morning, he saw five veterans in line waiting for one-on-one support from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The former service members come from all over the Chicago area every week to get help securing health care, employment, disability pay and other benefits during the support sessions staffed by VA workers, O’Shea said. But Wednesday marked a sudden, unexpected last day for the program, he said.
Sweeping cuts to federal agencies made by President Donald Trump’s administration appeared to come home to ward offices across Chicago, as O’Shea and several other members of the City Council told the Tribune they’d been notified by the VA that it was “temporarily” pausing the outreach.
“Veterans served their country,” O’Shea said. “And they didn’t turn their back on us. They were there, protecting the freedom we all enjoy. Now, the government is turning their back on veterans. What message does it send?”
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Talia Soglin and Jake Sheridan.
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