Pete Buttigieg heads to Iowa for May town hall

A progressive veterans group will host Pete Buttigieg for a Cedar Rapids town hall this month to discuss the impact the Trump administration’s policies and DOGE cuts are having on our nation’s veterans.

Former US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg will take the stage in Iowa this month to discuss the impact federal cuts are having on Americans, and particularly on veterans.

The event, hosted by VoteVets Action Fund, will take place on Tuesday, May 13 in downtown Cedar Rapids.

The town hall comes at a contentious moment as the Trump administration is proposing to slash tens of thousands of jobs at the Department of Veteran Affairs, with internal memos suggesting cuts of more than 70,000 staff positions.

Founded in 2006, VoteVets has been particularly vocal about threats to veterans’ healthcare and democratic principles.The Cedar Rapids event is part of a broader effort from VoteVets to draw attention to the impact of federal cuts on  veterans’ services. This winter, the organization opened a tip line for veterans impacted by DOGE cuts and policies. 

Current and former VA employees told NBC News that the cuts could “imperil safety at the agency’s almost 1,400 hospitals and clinics.” Meanwhile, VA Secretary Doug Collins’ has said these reductions “will not negatively affect Veteran care, benefits or services.”

The Cedar Rapids town hall comes just weeks after Republican US Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa held her first in-person town hall of this congressional session in Mason City. It was attended by a significant crowd that criticized her unwavering support for the Trump administration.

Unlike some Republican lawmakers who have followed party leadership advice to avoid in-person town halls amid growing protests, Hinson has said she “fully intends to continue hosting public town halls across northeast Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District.” So have US Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn, but neither have any publicly announced plans. 

Buttigieg served as US Secretary of Transportation during the Biden administration and is himself a veteran who served in Afghanistan. He has been outspoken about the Trump administration’s approach to veterans’ issues. In March, Buttigieg said he was “pissed off” about Trump’s “slash-and-burn” proposal to cut VA employees.

“How can we not be pissed off when we see them coming after the workers who take care of our veterans, many of whom are veterans themselves?” he said.

The event will bring Buttigieg back to Iowa, where he gained national attention for winning the 2020 Iowa Caucuses.

People wishing to attend the town hall can RSVP here.