How DEI Programs Help Veterans

Most people have heard negative things about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, especially from Republicans who call them “woke” or unnecessary. But what many don’t realize is that DEI programs also help military veterans. Republican Representatives Nicholas Langworthy (NY-23) and Claudia Tenney (NY-24) push to cut DEI programs even though these programs provide critical support to veterans. By targeting DEI, they’re hurting the very people they claim to support.

DEI Programs Are Lifelines for Veterans

DEI programs aren’t just about race or gender—they’re about making sure everyone, including veterans, gets a fair shot at jobs, education, and healthcare. These programs are essential for veterans. They help them address challenges like finding work, returning to school, and getting the healthcare they need after serving our country.

Here’s how DEI programs help veterans:

1. Jobs: Helping Veterans Find Work

After leaving the military, many veterans struggle to find good jobs. Even though they have valuable skills, it can be hard to translate those skills into civilian careers. DEI programs help by:

  • Prioritizing veteran hiring in government jobs and private companies.

  • Funding job training programs that teach veterans new skills and help them get certifications.

  • Hosting career fairs and mentorship programs specifically for veterans.

The VA and Department of Labor have DEI programs that focus on helping disabled veterans, women veterans, and veterans of color—groups that often face extra challenges finding work.

If Langworthy and Tenney and their fellow Republicans succeed in cutting DEI programs, these job resources will disappear. This will leave many veterans without the help they need.

2. Education: Helping Veterans Succeed in School

The GI Bill and subsequent programs helped veterans pay for college. DEI programs make sure they have the support they need to succeed once they’re in school. Schools like the University at Buffalo, SUNY Buffalo, and SUNY Brockport use DEI funding to:

  • Create veteran resource centers that offer tutoring, mental health services, and career advice.

  • Provide scholarships and grants for disabled and minority veterans.

  • Develop programs to help veterans adjust to civilian life while in school.

For veterans dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, financial stress, or family responsibilities, these resources are crucial. Cutting DEI programs would remove this support, making it even harder for veterans to finish school and build successful careers.

3. Healthcare: Making Sure Veterans Get the Care They Deserve

DEI programs help veterans access healthcare. The VA uses DEI to address gaps in care and make sure all veterans—no matter their race, gender, or background—get the treatment they need. DEI funding supports:

  • Training for VA staff on veteran-specific health issues, like PTSD and combat injuries.

  • Expanded care for women, LGBTQ+, and disabled veterans, who often face extra barriers to healthcare.

  • Fair treatment for all veterans, especially those from marginalized communities.

Without DEI programs, healthcare disparities among veterans will get worse. For example, women veterans already struggle to get proper care through the VA. Cutting DEI would make these problems even harder to solve.

Who Will Be Hurt the Most?

While all veterans could lose out if DEI programs are cut, some groups will be hit harder than others:

  • Disabled veterans, who rely on job training and specialized healthcare.

  • Minority veterans, who face higher unemployment and often don’t get the same quality of care.

  • Women veterans, who are more likely to experience homelessness and healthcare inequities.

  • LGBTQ+ veterans, who have faced discrimination in the military and depend on DEI protections to get fair treatment.

These veterans served our country. They shouldn’t have to fight for the opportunities and care they were promised—but that’s exactly what Langworthy and Tenney are forcing them to do.

A Betrayal of Veterans

During his most recent re-election campaign, Langworthy positioned himself as a staunch advocate for veterans, demanding “immediate action and transparency” from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in response to allegations of delayed care, misconduct, and administrative failures at the Buffalo VA Medical Center. His calls for accountability led to the removal of the system director and the chief of staff. Langworthy emphatically stated, “Administrative failures have left veterans battling cancer—heroes who risked everything for this country—waiting far too long for the care they need. I will closely monitor the situation and continue to press for accountability to guarantee that no veteran’s health is compromised due to administrative failures.”

Yet, despite these lofty promises, Langworthy has failed to address one of the core issues plaguing the Buffalo VA: chronic understaffing. Veterans have repeatedly voiced concerns about backlogs and overwhelmed staff, yet Langworthy and Tenney have remained silent as the VA faces devastating cuts.

Recently, 1,000 positions were eliminated from the VA as part of the Trump-aligned Project 2025 initiative, which Langworthy and Tenney have endorsed. This initiative not only undermines the VA’s ability to serve veterans but also includes additional proposals to slash benefits for disabled veterans, automate claims processing to increase denial rates, and cut funding for homeless veterans’ programs. Furthermore, it seeks to privatize VA Health Care and the Department of Defense TRICARE system, effectively dismantling the infrastructure that provides critical support to veterans. These cuts will inevitably lead to a dramatic rise in veteran homelessness and suicides—a direct contradiction to Langworthy’s and Tenney’s professed commitment to veterans.

If Langworthy and Tenney were genuinely dedicated to supporting veterans, they would recognize that DEI initiatives are not about political correctness but about ensuring that all veterans – regardless of race, gender, or background – have equitable access to the opportunities and resources they have earned through their service. Instead, by supporting the goals of Project 2025 and efforts to eliminate DEI programs, they are actively undermining veterans in Western New York

This is a betrayal of the men and women who have sacrificed for this nation. Langworthy and Tenney must be held accountable for failing to uphold their promises to the veteran community.

Ending Veterans’ Protections 

The Republican push to dismantle DEI isn’t just an attack on social progress. It’s an attack on the people they claim to support and the MAGA people who support them. 

Langworthy and Tenney align themselves with a movement that harms the veterans they claim to champion. By opposing the veterans’ protection included in DEI, they are ensuring that veterans who need help the most – disabled, minority, and female veterans – will face even greater obstacles in their post-service lives.

Rather than playing into partisan narratives about “woke’ ideology, lawmakers should work to strengthen veteran support systems, not dismantle them. When Western New York veterans lose the resources they rely on, Langworthy and Tenney should be held accountable at the polls.