Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, set the record straight on how former President Donald Trump’s and Vice President Kamala Harris’ leadership styles for America’s veterans differ during a campaign stop in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.
The Republican vice presidential nominee’s rally was held at JWF Industries, which supplies “Department of Defense prime contractors with reliable, on-time fabrications and sub-assemblies,” according to its site.
Vance, himself a Marine veteran, asked the crowd, “When our own citizens suffer and our veterans are at the top of that list, [do] you know what a big difference between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris [is]?”
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“Donald Trump wants to put American citizens and American veterans first. He thinks the government of this country exists to serve the people of this country, not people who shouldn’t be here in the first place,” said Vance. “That is one of the biggest differences between the leadership of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.”
Vance’s comments came on the heels of a question from a reporter asking how the Trump-Vance ticket would prioritize ending veteran homelessness in America, as Pennsylvania has the fourth-highest rate of veteran homelessness in the country.
Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, arrives at a campaign event at JWF Industries, Saturday, in Johnstown, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
In late August, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced it would award over $800 million nationwide in grants through the Supportive Services for Veteran Families and Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem programs, with $17 million of the overall grant going to Pennsylvania.
According to nonprofit Mission Roll Call, an average of 35,574 veterans experienced homelessness per diem in 2023. Veteran homelessness increased 7.4% from 2022 to 2023 during the Biden administration, according to the VA.
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“Let’s be honest here, $17 million,” Vance said. “While it will help, it is not nearly enough to meet the challenge of the homeless veteran population in this country.
“These guys went off to war. Some of them came back with wounds, some of them with wounds you cannot see. But all of them came back with the pride that they served their country and did what our country asked them to do,” he added. “How disgraceful is it that millions of our veterans are getting left behind in some form or another, and thousands of them are homeless? When we’re housing illegal aliens in first-class hotels, it’s a disgrace.”
In New York City alone, 119 migrant shelters contracted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are hotels and motels. An additional 38 hotels are contracted through different agencies.
Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, arrives at a campaign event at JWF Industries in Johnstown, Pa., Saturday. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
Veterans 4 America First Institute (V4AF), a self-described grassroots policy organization and nonprofit, responded to Vance’s comments on Trump and Harris’ differing approaches toward veterans.
“Senator Vance is 100% correct, more needs to be done for our homeless veterans, especially at a time under VP Harris when the Department of Veterans Affairs dropped the ball as veteran homelessness went up over 7% last year,” Darin Selnick, V4AF founder and Air Force veteran, told Fox News Digital.
“Meanwhile, the VA gives special treatment to illegal immigrants by processing and paying their ICE medical claims and to special interests over veterans, such as what is happening at the West L.A. campus where VA has turned its back on homeless veterans while giving illegal leases to UCLA, Brentwood School and an oil company,” continued Selnick.
The VA was recently ruled against during a case in Los Angeles after it had been discovered that the organization had “quietly sold off” land deeded in 1888 as an Old Soldiers’ Home to private interests instead of building housing units for veterans.
Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, gestures while speaking at a campaign event Saturday. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., introduced a bill last December that would block VA funding for illegal immigrants nationwide called the “No VA Resources for Illegal Aliens Act” after reports came out of the DHS using VA funding for illegal migrants in ICE detention.
Selnick added: “It is time for VP Harris to walk the walk instead of just talking, and to do what is right for veterans instead of using veterans as a political prop.”
The Republican National Committee’s official platform for 2024 includes a subsection titled “Take Care of Our Veterans,” saying, “Republicans will end luxury housing and Taxpayer benefits for Illegal Immigrants and use those savings to shelter and treat homeless Veterans.”
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“We will restore Trump Administration reforms to expand Veterans’ Healthcare Choices, protect Whistleblowers, and hold accountable poorly performing employees not giving our Veterans the care they deserve,” the document continued.
Representatives for Vance and the Trump campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.