New reporting from Virginia Scope calls out even more lies from vulnerable Republican Jen Kiggans, who is on the defense for trying – and failing – to deny her record of voting against veterans and active duty servicemembers.
Yet last week, in a desperate move to rewrite her record, Jen Kiggans lied to voters about this in a direct-to-camera video. It’s no surprise that Kiggans would continue perpetuating this misinformation. Virginia’s Second Congressional District is home to more than 80,000 veterans – nearly 15% of the district.
DCCC Spokesperson Lauryn Fanguen:
“Jen Kiggans can spew whatever lies she wants, but we have the receipts. Kiggans has turned against veterans and active duty servicemembers her entire political career, opting instead to uplift far-right extremists and corporate interests. Coastal Virginians will remember that this November.”
Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-VA02, is defending herself against attacks accusing her of voting for legislation that could potentially cut funding for veterans’ services. A former Navy pilot and nurse practitioner, Kiggans represents the Hampton Roads region in Congress, where a large portion of the population is active-duty military personnel.
Vote Vets, a group that says they elevate the voices of veterans and military families through progressive legislative policies and electoral endorsements that impact the lives of active service members and veterans, is calling out Kiggans for her comments defending herself in a recent video. They have endorsed Democrat Missy Cotter Smasal in VA-02.
The vote that Democrats are referencing when accusing Kiggans of supporting cuts to veterans’ benefits is the Limit, Save, Grow Act, which narrowly passed in the House of Representatives. Republicans say the bill is intended to provide “commonsense spending reforms” and is a cut to all spending in the budget.
With no specific language in the legislation to protect the Department of Veterans Affairs, the VA projected in a press release that they would suffer a 22% cut to their funding.
The VA projects that this cut would result in “30 million fewer Veteran outpatient visits, and 81,000 jobs lost across the Veterans Health Administration.”
They also project that it will undermine access to telehealth, increase wait times for benefits and prevent construction of new healthcare facilities.
The VA’s analysis assumes an across-the-board reduction of roughly 22% compared to currently enacted FY 2023 levels for non-defense discretionary accounts. That aligns with proposals to return discretionary spending to FY 2022 levels on an ongoing basis while exempting defense spending, they say.
Republicans say the cuts will not be uniform and accuse Democrats of misleading the public. However, they also voted down Democratic amendments to the bill that would protect funding for veterans.
In response to the video from Kiggans, Vote Vets called on Kiggans to “own up” to her vote.
“Lying in a video where you claim to be correcting [misinformation] is a heck of a choice, [Rep Jen Kiggans],” they wrote on social media. “You voted to cut 30,000 jobs at the VA and imperil Veterans health care. Just own up to it and defend it. But don’t insult voters by lying about it.”
Democrats are targeting this district as a potential flip. Two Democrats, Missy Cotter Smasal and Jake Denton, are seeking the nomination to run against Kiggans in November.
