Kirkpatrick Defends Veterans' Jobs From McCain While McCain Defends Trump Over Veterans

Press Release

John McCain this week was forced to drop a harmful provision in his defense bill after Ann Kirkpatrick successfully pressured McCain through public statements and bipartisan legislation.

After John McCain got caught trying to slip an onerous provision rolling back hiring preferences for veterans seeking federal jobs -- a provision favored by Washington bureaucrats but opposed by veterans -- into his Senate defense bill, Ann Kirkpatrick along with Rep. Ruben Gallego and other House members joined with veterans' service organizations to put a stop to McCain's efforts. Kirkpatrick and Gallego called on Congress to reject McCain's proposal and the House responded by passing a Gallego-Kirkpatrick amendment to that effect with overwhelming bipartisan support.

Now amid growing controversy surrounding his cynical defense of Donald Trump's disgusting remarks regarding veterans and PTSD and pressure from Kirkpatrick, McCain has signaled his intent to drop his anti-veteran legislation.

"It's telling that John McCain's desperate attempt to change the conversation from his breathless defense of Donald Trump served only to highlight what a strong, effective fighter Ann Kirkpatrick is for our veterans," said Kirkpatrick for Senate spokesperson D.B. Mitchell. "But after 33 years in Washington, McCain now puts Donald Trump over Arizona veterans, and that's simply unacceptable. That's why Arizona's veterans want a new, principled leader like Ann Kirkpatrick putting them first in the United States Senate."

Yesterday, Arizona veterans demanded an apology from John McCain after he defended Donald Trump's offensive comments that veterans who suffer PTSD were "not strong." McCain even called Trump's comments a "fair assessment."

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