‘Musk or us’: Cobb protesters call for no cuts to VA

By Annie Mayne

amayne@mdjonline.com

MARIETTA — Dozens lined Cobb Parkway Friday afternoon protesting promised cuts to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and calling for less influence from Elon Musk on government spending.

Organized by Indivisible Cobb, a newly-formed chapter of a nationwide group that advocates for progressive causes, protesters stood in front of the Marietta VA Center in opposition to the Trump administration’s plan to cut the department’s workforce by 15%. In a pre-recorded statement last week, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins said that would bring the department from about 470,000 to just under 400,000.

The VA will be working directly with the Musk-run Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to make the cuts, which Collins said would not threaten healthcare or benefits for veterans, but focus on employment and contract reductions.

“There are many people complaining about the changes we’re making at the VA. But what most of them are really saying is ‘Let’s just keep doing the same thing that the VA has always done.’ Nope, not gonna happen,” Collins said. “The days of kicking the can down the road and measuring the VA’s progress by how much money it spends and how many people it employs rather than how many veterans it helps are over.”

Cobb resident Carol Buffum said her son, a veteran who lives in Augusta, faces great difficulty accessing care through the VA.

“To cut even more is going to be just awful for him,” Buffum said. “... There’s always waste to find, but we have gotten no indication that they’re doing it in any reasonable manner and even in accordance with the law.”

Cobb resident Syre Perkins, a U.S. Army veteran, said he was concerned cuts by DOGE to the VA and other government agencies will have a disproportionate affect on veterans, who make up a large chunk of the federal workforce.

According to the U.S. Office of Personnel and Management, in the 2021 fiscal year, veterans made up 30% of the federal workforce.

“Veterans are the life blood of the federal government workforce,” Perkins said. “... All of a sudden people are cutting funding ... without even looking at it. Not just military or veterans, but Medicaid, Medicare, all across the board.”

Perkins said he doesn’t depend on the VA for healthcare, but did use the department’s services once, when he caught COVID in 2020. His experience with the VA was relatively smooth, but he knows that’s not always the case.

“You come in and see a doctor, they’ll help you then, but you won’t see them again for another six months,” he said.

Some protesters waved American flags, several wore baseball caps or t-shirts identifying themselves as veterans and many saw the event as a catchall rejection of the goals of President Donald Trump and Musk — with signs reading “Musk or Us” and “No one voted for Elon Musk” in the mix.

Laura and Stacey, two organizers with Indivisible Cobb who declined to share their last names with the MDJ, said Friday’s protest was about “all of the things” being pushed by Trump.

A press release from Indivisible Cobb said the demonstration sought to “demand accountability for those who have violated their oath to uphold the Constitution,” specifically a section that bars anyone who has engaged in insurrection or rebellion from holding public office.

The women said they hoped the protest inspired their neighbors to join them in future action, including a demonstration planned on Marietta Square Saturday afternoon.

“We believe in doing peaceful demonstrations like this to show people ... that it is OK for them to come out and use their voices and join us,” Stacey said.

“It’s one thing when they see it in New York and Chicago,” Laura said, “But to see it in Marietta ...”

“They need to see it with their own eyes,” Stacey said.