Veteran issues get little attention as Harris, Trump make final pitches

(The Center Square) – As former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris make their final pitches to voters ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election, issues involving veterans have gotten little attention.

With many U.S. voters focused on issues such as high consumer prices, the economy, illegal immigration and abortion, those who have served in the military want to hear about ending homelessness for veterans and providing them with access to lifesaving benefits.

Retired Army Lt. Col. Jim Whaley, the CEO of Mission Roll Call, said that even during the vice presidential debate, which featured two veterans, vet-focused issues got short shrift.

“Our polling and one-on-one meetings with veterans across the country indicate that there’s great dissatisfaction that veterans’ issues have not been a topic in this campaign, especially the vice presidential debate,” Whaley said. “I mean, here were two veterans, and the people asking the questions right from CBS did a horrible job of touching on the fact that they were veterans.”

Mission Roll Call conducted a national survey of veterans that found that the majority of veterans are focused on two key issues: Ending the homelessness crisis and ensuring timely access to lifesaving benefits.

Unlike some groups, the nation’s 18.5 million veterans don’t vote as a bloc. Whaley said that is, in part, because veterans are a diverse group. Veterans do vote. Whaley said more than 98% of veterans are registered to vote.

Pay is another issue that veterans and active-duty military members think about. About 15.4% of all active duty personnel would be classified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as having low food security in 2018. Another 10.4% would be classified as having very low food security. That means more than a quarter of military members are worried about food, according to a 2023 RAND report.

“When they sign up to serve their country, they sign a blank check for their country,” Whaley said. “They are willing to serve anywhere in the world, defend our democracy and we don’t pay them enough that they can function correctly and take care of their families. That’s abhorrent.”

Both Trump and Harris have pledged to address veteran-centered issues, such as homelessness.

“On Day One, I will sign an Executive Order to cut off Joe Biden’s massive spigot of funding for shelter and transport of illegal aliens and redirect a portion of those savings, a very large portion I might add, to provide shelter and treatment for homeless American Veterans,” Trump said last year in a video message. “I will make it a personal mission to totally eradicate Veterans’ homelessness in America by the end of next term.”

Harris made a similar pledge on her campaign website, saying she would “fight to end veteran homelessness, investing in mental health and suicide prevention efforts, and eliminating barriers to employment and expanding economic opportunity for military and veteran families.”