Lawmaker Urges VA to Take Away Benefits of Vets Who Assaulted Capitol – By Steve Beynon (Military.com) / Mar 19 2021
A disproportionate percentage of the pro-Trump mob that assaulted the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 were veterans and active-duty service members. Now, a key lawmaker is calling for them to be stripped of all benefits.
Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., who serves on the Armed Services and Veterans Affairs committees, stressed in a letter to Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough that “insurrectionists should not enjoy benefits they no longer deserve.”
“The behavior of these individuals is not representative of the large population of American veterans,” said Gallego, a Marine veteran. “Yet, many of the veterans and servicemembers who attacked their own government actively and enthusiastically enjoy special benefits given to them by their fellow citizens.”
As of late February, about 13% of all rioters facing charges have a military background. But veterans made up only about 7% of the U.S. population in 2018, according to Census Bureau data.
