- United States
- Tenn.
- Letter
I am increasingly concerned over the news of the government shutdown. As the wife of a U.S. Marine veteran who is employed at the Mountain Home Veterans Administration in Johnson City, this decision not only affects my family, but the families of thousands of V.A. employees in East Tennessee and the patients they care for. At Christmas. I continue to be disappointed in the Republican party as a whole, for they no longer serve the interests of the people, only the oligarchs who have bought their way into our government. I implore you to be the voice of the V.A. and East Tennesseans. Use your influence to keep the government open. Your colleague, Rep. Tim Burchett in Knoxville, is parroting Elon Musk’s wishes to “shut it down” with no regard for the lives of the people he serves. Both of my grandfathers served in WWII. One of them is buried at the V.A. Five of my uncles served in the armed forces, one of them is buried there as well. My father, a veteran of the U.S. Navy, relies on the V.A. for healthcare. Republicans cannot continue down this dangerous path. This is not what the men in my family served for. We deserve better.
