‘It’s very disappointing’: Veterans protest proposed VA job cuts at Florida capitol Friday
Veterans from across the state gathered at the Florida capitol Friday to protest plans to cut 80,000 jobs from the Department of Veterans Affairs, leaving many worried about the workforce and VA healthcare benefits.
A memo sent out the beginning of March instructs top-level VA staff to prepare for an agency-wide reorganization in August to “resize and tailor the workforce to the mission and revised structure.” It also calls for agency officials to work with the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency to “move out aggressively, while taking a pragmatic and disciplined approach” to the Trump administration’s goals.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins posted a video on social media last week saying layoffs would not mean cuts to veterans’ health care or benefits, but protesters at Friday’s demonstration like Maria Geer said they remain worried about how these changes could affect veterans.
“We need to support and sacrifice for our vets. They deserved to be treated well. They deserve good jobs and health care,” Geer said. “Mental health for vets in a top priority.”
Neighbors in Punta Gorda protest against proposed federal cuts
Over 200 residents in Punta Gorda participated in a march and protest for veterans on Friday afternoon.
The protest is part of a nationwide demonstration against Project 2025 as well as proposed cuts to federal programs and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Demonstrators congregated at the Old Charlotte County Courthouse. They then marched down Taylor Street, made their way to Tamiami Trail and finished the march on Olympia Avenue.
A group of local organizations are protesting President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and the Department of Government Efficiency, also known as DOGE.
They teamed up Friday evening for what they call the first official People’s Solidarity March On Mar-A-Lago since 20-20.
“We are watching democracy fall by the wayside, and I don’t want to let it fail. I don’t want to let it fall. I don’t want to see it crumble,” organizer Mark Offerman said.
Protestors marched from Dreher Park in West Palm Beach all the way down Southern Boulevard to President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, in the pursuit of standing for democracy, they said.
Gainesville residents protest Elon Musk and DOGE
Gainesville residents protested Elon Musk and DOGE outside of a Tesla dealership again.
Crowds of people lined the street outside the dealership on Main Street around 10:00 a.m. March, 14.
The protest was part of the Tesla takedown movement.
Organizers say they peacefully protest Tesla as a way of hurting Musk’s wallet.