The Democrats Abroad Global Veterans and Military Families (VMF) Caucus calls for the immediate resignations of the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Peter Brian Hegseth, and the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Douglas Allen Collins. All nine members of the VMF Steering Committee have reached a unanimous agreement that these two individuals – who lead the two largest departments within the federal government – have willfully ignored what is in the best interest of our country and have instead chosen to take a wrecking ball to their respective departments, their employees, and their missions.
Secretary Hegseth has played a key role in the Trump Administration in deliberately dismantling our federal government. As head of the Pentagon and a Cabinet member in control of a multi-billion-dollar budget, his lack of significant leadership experience has been painfully exposed. His refusal to answer lawmakers’ questions during Capitol Hill hearings demonstrates his complete lack of respect for Congress to exercise its constitutional oversight function. His immature judgment in sharing sensitive information over an unsecured messaging app reveals the total absence of seriousness for the role in which the Senate confirmed him. His views on women in the military and women having the right to vote are contrary to the American ideals in which he’s charged with defending and promoting. His inexcusable actions, including downsizing the Federal Voting Assistance Program staff and intentionally removing the free fax option for U.S. citizens who are Uniformed and Overseas Citizen Absentee Ballot Act voters, are further evidence that Mr. Hegseth is grossly unqualified to lead the Department of Defense (DoD) as Secretary. His directive to remove books from schools and libraries at military installations simply because he was “uncomfortable” with minority authors and subjects of diversity was a red flag for unwarranted censorship. Due to all these actions and others not mentioned here, VMF has no choice but to call for the immediate resignation of Secretary Hegseth from the Department of Defense.
Secretary Collins is also complicit in the Trump Administration’s carnage within the federal government by intentionally gutting the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Without any consideration for the veterans and families affected, Secretary Collins has reneged on lawful contracts, inexplicably removed critical employees at the Veterans Crisis Line who every day help with suicide prevention efforts, terminated agreements with organized labor unions, removed historically-accurate websites highlighting topics of America’s history of diversity, equity and inclusion, made it unreasonably more difficult for women veterans to access reproductive care – including necessary abortion services – at VA facilities, facilitated the extremist procedures mentioned in Project 2025 including the move towards privatization of VA Health Care, and rubber-stamped mass job firings for thousands of VA employees with no reasonable explanation. These are not the actions of a patriot nor a public servant, but rather the actions of a sycophant putting party over country while not hesitating in punching our veteran community in the gut to please the President. Again, VMF believes there is only one solution to the current VA turmoil happening before our very eyes: for Secretary Collins to tender his immediate resignation.
We do not make this decision lightly. Service Members, Military Families, Veterans, and VA beneficiaries from all walks of life, including those of us serving or residing abroad, have been negatively affected by the actions of Secretaries Hegseth and Collins. To be clear, VMF believes that the two Secretaries have miserably failed the American people in carrying out their duties. And while Secretaries Hegseth and Collins compete with one another to prove their loyalty to a wannabe dictator, VMF stands with allies who will never bend the knee.
If these individuals choose not to resign and continue wreaking havoc among the military, veteran, and DoD-connected community, we then strongly urge Congress to impeach and convict Secretaries Hegseth and Collins for high crimes and misdemeanors, pursuant to Article II, Section 4 of the United States Constitution. Not only is their removal from office necessary to safeguard our national security, it is also what the Founders would have demanded per Federalist [essay] No. 69 and its discussion on “character” and the Executive Branch.
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U.S. citizens living abroad, both civilian and military, are highly encouraged to check your voter registration status and request your ballot for any upcoming elections in your home voting state that you are eligible to vote in.
The VMF Caucus, proudly consisting of veterans, military family members, DoD civilians, and strong allies of veterans and military family causes, has approximately 1,400 members located in dozens of countries.
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