As Elon Musk and the Trump administration take steps to dismantle much of the federal government, military veterans are among the key constituencies feeling the brunt of the Republican offensive. Not only are services that benefit veterans on the line, but thousands of retired military servicemembers working for federal agencies are finding themselves unemployed — not because of poor performance, but because of the White House’s ideological agenda.
It’s against this backdrop that VoteVets, a progressive veterans’ organization, this week unveiled a hard-hitting new television ad featuring veterans who’ve lost their jobs as a result of Musk and the DOGE endeavor.
🚨 NEW: VoteVets is launching a six-figure ad blitz across TV, streaming, digital, and billboards—exposing GOP Veterans dodging constituents while Musk’s DOGE fires thousands of Veterans.They promised to fight for Veterans—now they’re silent. Stop Elon’s war on Veterans. Demand Congress act!
— VoteVets (@votevets.org) 2025-03-18T13:19:55.240Z
The spot features a group of veterans sitting around a table, sharing their experiences and struggling with the fact that they were fired for reasons that don’t make sense. At one point, viewers hear a veteran say, “I did not put my life on the line for some tech bro billionaire from South Africa to come in here and try to destroy our country.”
Another added, “It feels like veterans are being personally attacked by Elon Musk.”
At no point in the commercial do viewers see or hear the words “Republican” or “Donald Trump,” and it’s likely that this was intentional: As a report in The Bulwark noted, “The gambit runs the risk of letting Trump remain above the fray. But operatives in the party believe that damage to Elon and DOGE will ultimately hurt the president, since he turned much of the government over to the Tesla CEO.”
According to a press statement released by the organization, VoteVets is making a six-figure ad buy, which will initially target five Republican members of Congress, each of whom serve in competitive districts: Nebraska’s Don Bacon, Virginia’s Jennifer Kiggans, Michigan’s John James, Pennsylvania’s Scott Perry and Iowa’s Zach Nunn.
The ad stands out as notable in its own right, but watching the spot, I was reminded that some Republicans are convinced Musk and DOGE have political upsides for the party. Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas, for example, recently appeared on CNN and had nothing but positive things to say about Trump’s biggest campaign donor and the Department of Government Efficiency. “I think it’s good for us to have this dialogue,” the GOP congressman said. “DOGE is very popular in my district.” A day earlier, The Associated Press reported that Republican Rep. Richard Hudson, the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, expressed great optimism about the 2026 election cycle — because, the North Carolinian said, “The cuts pushed by the Department of Government Efficiency are resonating with voters.” There’s a whole lot of evidence to the contrary. In fact, with the VoteVets ad in mind, it’s getting increasingly easy to imagine that the 2026 midterm elections might very well become a referendum on the billionaire GOP megadonor. And if it does, Musk’s poor public standing might have a real impact on the outcomes.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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