This article first appeared on WLRN Public Media.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, brought Don Williams, a veteran and member of the Social Security Administration staff, as her guest to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday night.
The invitation was intended to show the value of federal workers at a time when the Trump administration is seeking to cut tens of thousands of positions within the federal government.
Williams, who tells WLRN he fears his job may be in jeopardy, has lived in Weston since 2008 and served in the U.S. Navy for 30 years. For the past 10 years, he has worked part-time for the Social Security Administration to assist veterans in the customer service department.
He worries for those he serves: veterans and Social Security beneficiaries.
Williams said the Social Security Administration helps tens of thousands of veterans with questions about their benefits.
“What are we going to do with all our veterans? What about the commitment for the veterans?” he said. “I feel that the United States is not keeping their end of the bargain.”
He notes that 7.7 million Social Security recipients are veterans, and that the agency is already understaffed.
“You cut 50% of the employees, now you’re looking at wait times from four hours to eight hours. And that’s not fair to those individuals,” Williams said.
READ MORE: Wasserman Schultz, Democrats set up web portal to ‘hear’ stories of those hurt by Trump policies
Williams said he’s also concerned about his own health care and insurance amid more federal staffing cuts.
He told WLRN that he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and found it difficult to adjust to normal life when he entered civil service.
He said an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) fell short of his mental health needs.
“[The EAP] couldn’t provide me the counseling that I needed due to my PTSD. I had to rely on the [Veterans Administration] to do that for me,” he said. “The Vet Centers were able to give me round-the-clock treatment. Without the VA, I wouldn’t have been able to adjust.”
Schultz said she decided to invite Williams to the State of the Union address to show how Trump’s budget cuts and employee layoffs directly affect veterans.
“It’s really important for us to put a human face on the massively disproportionate impact [of] the Trump-Musk cuts, whether those are job cuts or indiscriminate slashing of vital programs that help our veterans,” Schultz said.
Williams hopes his appearance at the State of the Union address will help Americans understand the difficulties veterans face in getting any type of care.
“Veterans are not given anything,” said Williams. “Everything that we have, we earn it. And a lot of it, we earn in blood, sweat and tears.”
