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President Donald Trump’s counselor to the president, Alina Habba, questioned the capabilities of some veterans affected by the federal government layoffs, saying they may not be “fit to have a job at this moment.”
She offered limited sympathy to those who have lost their jobs amidst the cuts while speaking on the White House’s North Lawn on Tuesday.
Alina Habba, counselor to the President, speaks with reporters the White House, Feb. 25, 2025, in Washington.
Alex Brandon/AP
“That’s something the president has always cared about — anybody in blue, anybody that serves this country. But at the same time, we have taxpayer dollars, we have a fiscal responsibility to use taxpayer dollars to pay people that actually work,” Habba said.
“That doesn’t mean that we forget our veterans by any means,” she continued. “We are going to care for them in the right way, but perhaps they’re not fit to have a job at this moment or not willing to come to work. And we can’t, you know, I wouldn’t take money from you and pay somebody and say, ‘Sorry, you know, they’re not going to come to work.’ It’s just not acceptable.”
-ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh
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