“Pathological Liar” Trump Claims Credit for Obama’s Veterans Choice Act

Jo ShawNov 15, 2023

Minute Read

Hundreds of Donald Trump enthusiasts gathered in Claremont, New Hampshire, on Veterans Day, where the former President hosted a rally, one of his several visits to the state. At the rally, he once again took credit for Obama’s Veterans Choice Act, but prior to the end of his former Presidency, he diverted over $3 billion away from military construction projects aimed at improving the lives of military families to build his “vanity project,” his border wall.

Supporting Military Personnel

Despite facing numerous criminal charges, Trump maintains a substantial lead among Republicans in New Hampshire and nationwide. On Veterans Day, he seized the opportunity to connect with supporters and highlight his accomplishments during his previous presidential term in support of military personnel.

After Years of Scandal, Betrayal and Neglect

Editorial credit: Evan El-Amin / Shutterstock.

Trump said during the rally, “When I am back in the White House, we’re all going back together. They [Veterans] will once have the loyalty, the respect, and the support that they earned, and they so dearly deserve, after years of scandal, betrayal and neglect under the Obama/Biden administration.”

VA Accountability Act

Trump continued, “I signed the VA Accountability Act. They were trying to get it done for 59 years, and we got it done through Congress, believe it or not, so they can’t cancel it out right away.” It is a claim Trump has repeatedly made at campaign rallies, “We passed VA Choice and VA Accountability to give our veterans the care that they deserve, and they have been trying to pass these things for 45 years,” Trump claimed in a campaign rally in Pennsylvania in May 2019.

Illegal Aliens Treated Better Than Veterans

During his latest Veterans Day rally, Trump asserted that undocumented immigrants “pouring” into the US received better treatment than veterans. He further drew comparisons between the treatment of illegal migrants and veterans, alleging that Biden had allocated billions to house undocumented migrants in luxury hotels.

Biden Has Given Up on Homeless Vets.

Trump asserted that his former administration was actively addressing veteran homelessness, suggesting that the Biden administration had abandoned those efforts.

Veterans Choice Signed Into Law by Obama

In 2014, Barack Obama enacted H.R. 3230, the Veterans’ Access, Choice, and Accountability Act, granting the Department of Veterans Affairs the necessary resources to enhance veterans’ access and quality of healthcare.

Obama Signed Act After Veterans Deaths.

An Associated Press fact check of Trump’s previous claims was published in 2019, stating that Obama signed the Act “in the wake of a scandal at VA’s medical center in Phoenix, where some veterans died while waiting months for appointments.”

Trump Signed Extension to Veterans Choice Act

Following Obama’s enactment of the Veterans Choice Act in 2017, Trump signed an extension called the Veterans Choice Program Extension and Improvement Act during his term as President. Trump claimed upon signing the extension to the law that “This bill will extend and improve the Veterans Choice Program so that more veterans can see the doctor of their choice … and don’t have to wait and travel long distances for VA care.”

Reforms Our Veterans Deserve

Trump concluded, “We will fight each and every day to deliver the long-awaited reforms our veterans deserve and to protect those who have so courageously protected each and every one of us.”

Trump Slashed Funding for Military Programs to Build Wall

In February 2020, the Trump administration took billions of dollars in funding for military programs and redirected the funds toward constructing Trump’s US-Mexico border wall. This decision sparked discontent among both Democrats and GOP defense personnel.

Defense Secretary Approved Diverting Funds From Military

The $3.8 billion border wall request from the Department of Homeland Security was approved by the Defense Secretary Mark Esper. The Pentagon acknowledged the possibility of further reductions to allocate additional funds to fulfill Trump’s campaign promise of building the border wall.

An Ineffective Vanity Project

Two military personnel, Gil Cisneros and Anthony Brown, penned an Op-ed in USA Today, which read, “President Donald Trump recently announced he will divert $3.6 billion in congressionally approved military construction funds to pay for part of his border wall — an ineffective vanity project that does little to strengthen our national security.”

A Reckless Decision With Grave Consequences

The op-ed continued, “Even more so, his reckless decision has grave consequences for the military in which we both proudly served.” The op-ed stated, “Many of the 127 projects the president canceled would have improved the quality of life at work or home for military service members and their families.”

Trump Condemned Military Members to Poor Living Conditions

“These include bases that military families call home. To them, these installations are communities, each with their own schools, hospitals and grocery stores. Just as any of us would be outraged by crumbling classrooms, dilapidated clinics and decades-old facilities in our own neighborhoods, we should be even more incensed when the President [Trump] condemns our service members and their families to such conditions,” the op-ed continued.

Directly Impacting the Well-Being of Families

Gil Cisneros and Anthony Brown continued to argue that the diversion of funds would “directly impact our military readiness and the well-being for our military families.” They provided an example of how the funding cuts were impacting healthcare facilities. “An example is the canceled child care development center at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, …. The current child care center was constructed during World War II and now is too small to serve the number of children on base,” they continued to explain.

Child Care Center Has Mold and Rodent Infestation.

“It suffers from sewage backups, mold and rodent infestation, a leaking roof, and failing heating and AC systems.” Cisneros and Brown described the conditions of the childcare center in their op-ed.

Trump Wanted to Rob Veterans

On X, people commented on Trump’s previous diversion of military funding after his claims of assisting military veterans. One user wrote, “Trump wanted to rob veterans/military programs to pay for his wall, Republicans stopped him.”

He’s a Pathological Liar.

Another user posted a quote, “The more I listen to Donald Trump, The more appalled I am. Not as a Democrat; but as a human being. He’s a genuinely nasty man.—Stephen King.” “Because he’s a pathological liar,” posted another user.