The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is authorized under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump to refuse healthcare to veterans on the basis of their marital status and political affiliation. This has sparked worries that Democrats and single veterans may not receive care.
An executive order titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” was issued by Trump on January 30. This order’s primary objective was to curtail federal protections for transgender people, but it also brought about significant changes at VA.
According to medical professionals, the regulation changes could have serious repercussions. The new rules were deemed “extremely disturbing and unethical” by Dr. Arthur Caplan, the original chairman of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU’s Grossman School of Medicine.
“On the surface, it appears to be an attempt to exercise political control over the VA medical staff,” he said. “You keep your politics at home and take care of your patients,” is what we usually tell folks in the medical field.
According to Caplan, the new rules allow physicians to ask patients improper things, such as if they went to a Trump rally or whether they support the LGBTQ+ community. “These personal views are irrelevant to patient care. So, why should we risk denying anyone access to care for such reasons?” Caplan said.
In case you missed it, doctors at Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals nationwide can now refuse to treat unmarried veterans and Democrats under a new executive order by Donald Trump.
They can bar doctors from working in those hospitals based on those things as well.
WTAF
— Jo (@JoJoFromJerz) June 16, 2025
With its amended bylaws, the VA, which provides services to more than 9 million veterans through 170 hospitals and 1,000 clinics, eliminated prohibitions against discrimination on the basis of national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, and political party affiliation. According to new regulations, medical staff at VA facilities may refuse treatment to patients based on traits that are not covered by federal law.
There are no laws prohibiting employees from turning away veterans because of their marital status or political beliefs, even though they still have the legal right to care. According to internal papers, several VA centers have already implemented these adjustments.
Dr. Kenneth Kizer, the senior healthcare officer at the VA during the Clinton administration, told the Guardian that they “seem to open the door to discrimination on the basis of anything that is not legally protected.”
Wtaf?! If you voted for him, you voted for this. Are you still happy with your choice?
‘Extremely disturbing and unethical’: new rules allow VA doctors to refuse to treat Democrats, unmarried veteranshttps://t.co/vl2VbuDRfG pic.twitter.com/pMTzj3pGzX
— wtafisgoingon 🇨🇦🇺🇦🇨🇳 (@wtafisgoingon24) June 16, 2025
VA press secretary Peter Kasperowicz said the modifications are in accordance with a Trump executive order, but he did not identify the federal statutes that led to the adjustments. “All eligible veterans will always be welcome at VA and will always receive the benefits and services they’ve earned under the law,” he said, underscoring that the changes are just a “formality.”
But according to Caplan, these adjustments are a part of a larger Trump administration attack on the autonomy of research and medicine. Restrictions and budget cuts have been implemented at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the National Institutes of Health.
