But the VA system is under threat. The Trump administration’s proposal to eliminate 80,000 VA jobs represents the largest workforce reduction in the department’s history. These cuts will hit Hawai‘i especially hard, straining an already understaffed system and creating even greater barriers for veterans who already struggle to access timely care.

Nearly 200 people turned out Friday at the State House Plaza in Concord to protest President Donald Trump's moves to cut up to 80,000 jobs — or almost 20% of the workforce — in the federal Department of Veterans Affairs.

Samuel Baker has undergone dozens of physicals and exams, plus a handful of surgeries due to a botched landing as a U.S. Army paratrooper. Baker, who receives care at the Dallas VA Medical Center, is among the millions of veterans who say they are facing a terrifying possibility: Will cuts at the Department of Veterans Affairs dramatically slash health care?