By Forum Staff
Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing) on Tuesday brought a 20-year U.S. Army veteran from Woodside who was fired from his job at a City veterans hospital as her guest at President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress.
Luke Graziani was employed at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center in the Bronx. He worked as a public affairs officer at the hospital for nearly a year and was suddenly laid off two weeks ago. Prior to working at the medical center, he served two tours in Iraq and two tours in Afghanistan.
Graziani is among the tens of thousands of federal workers that the new administration has terminated across numerous federal agencies over the past few weeks. Currently, veterans make up 30 percent of the federal workforce and some 6,000 have already been fired.
Photo Courtesy of The White House
President Trump delivers his speech to a joint session of Congress.
“[T]he way that so many are being kicked to the curb is disgraceful,” Meng said.
“After 20 years of military service, including four combat tours, being terminated from my job at the VA by a thoughtless and heartless email was devastating,” said Graziani, a husband and father of four children. “These terminations affect real people and real families of dedicated public servants. I am grateful to Congresswoman Meng for giving me the opportunity to represent thousands of federal workers who’ve been discarded while providing vital services Americans depend on. I hope my presence in our nation’s capital will inspire other federal employees to continue standing for what is right.”
