BELLEVILLE, Ill. – The Trump administration has implemented several policies affecting veterans, sparking debate among critics on both sides of the aisle. In response, Illinois lawmakers met with local veterans to hear their concerns.

Workforce reductions within the Department of Veterans Affairs and the revocation of collective bargaining rights are among the recent changes affecting over one million veterans nationwide.

“There are a lot of jobs being lost. There’s just things thrown up on the wall and seeing if it sticks,” said Maurice Bridges, state commander of the VFW in Illinois.

On Sunday afternoon, Illinois lawmakers met with leaders and members of local Metro East veterans service organizations. The discussion aimed to foster a collaborative environment where veterans could voice their concerns and advocate for stronger protections from Washington.

U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski emphasized efforts to modernize the VA system, particularly in implementing electronic health records.

“We’re making sure we’re working with the VA to get them to adopt electronic health records. It helps to capture the entire veterans’ experience in the VA system. That’s an ongoing process that we’ve been working on,” Budzinski said. She also highlighted initiatives to expand STEM scholarship opportunities and streamline access to VA services.

Senator Tammy Duckworth underscored the importance of veteran registration with the VA to ensure long term support and infrastructure planning.

“The county veterans commission just said there’s probably 25,000 veterans just in this area that aren’t being accounted for,” Duckworth said. “The VA looks out 10 years in advance to where they’re gonna build the next hospital or clinic, and if you’re not counted, then the VA thinks there are fewer veterans, so they’re not gonna build that hospital here.”

While most veteran policies have been met with criticism, the administration has taken positive steps, such as an executive order signed in January directing the departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security to provide up to one year of mental health care for veterans following their separation from service.

Jim Page, 5th Division Commander of the American Legion Department of Illinois, reaffirmed the commitment to supporting veterans.

“The bottom line comes down to, we are here to help vets. That’s the bottom line. Yes, we have differences in programs, they’re not great, but we are here to help veterans,” Page said.

For more information, visit Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs and for a full list of resources, check out the Veteran Resources List.