NORTHAMPTON — In front of the Edward P. Boland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Leeds on Monday, around 25 demonstrators gathered near the front entrance, waving American flags and holding up signs in support of veterans.
For the past several months, this group has stood outside the VA center in the city every Monday around noon, hoping to draw attention to efforts to resist the administration of President Donald Trump. Though certainly not the only protests in the local area against the administration, this group, known as the Veteran Action Team, focuses on highlighting the effects of federal job cuts, particularly at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“The VA Healthcare system is the best in the world,” said John Paradis, a member of the group and himself a veteran lieutenant colonel of the United States Air Force. “Those of us who have served have relied on this system and it breaks our heart if there’s anything that could diminish it.”
The Veterans Action Team is part of Indivisible Northampton-Swing Left Western Mass, a progressive movement which has held numerous protests in cities such as Northampton and Springfield, as well as on highway overpasses in opposition to Trump as well as billionaire Elon Musk, who oversaw substantial cuts to federal programs under the Department of Government Efficiency initiative.
Veterans Affairs has not been exempt from being targeted by DOGE. In March, a leaked memo revealed plans to lay off more than 83,000 jobs from the department, although the VA revised that number to 30,000 in July, saying most of the reduction would come from attrition, early retirements and deferred resignations rather than firings.
It is also unclear how much savings the department actually has achieved as a result of the loss positions and cancellation of contracts, with the New York Times reporting in July that many of the savings claims submitted by the VA had dubious origins. The VA center in Leeds has also yet to be affected by any reduction in services or staffing, according to Sarah Robinson, the center’s public affairs officer.
Diane Borowski, an Easthampton resident a founding member of the Veterans Action Group, was out among the demonstrators on Monday, holding a large American flag raised upside down, symbolizing a situation of distress. Borowski said she was inspired to organize the group after hearing about a veteran’s protest in Washington, D.C.
“I said hey, ‘we’ve got a veteran’s hospital here.’ My father was a World War II vet, and he worked here in the ’60s and ’70s,” Borowski said. “I talked to my protester friends, and they said ‘we’ll go for it.'”
Also among the protesters was David Whitely, also of Easthampton and a former VA employee.
“We’re standing for veterans, and for democracy,” he said. “The VA people seem very appreciative when they come out to see us.”
Paradis, who has been involved with other protests in Northampton such as a “White Rose” protest in May, soon joined in. The protests occur every Monday from 11:30 to 12:30, although Paradis said the group now plans to be active from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. as well.
“You don’t see the bulk of the VA workforce until later in the day, when they’re leaving for home after work,” Paradis said. “That’s to show our support to them as federal employees, because they’re under attack right now.”
According to the Veterans Action Team’s most recent meeting agenda, a copy of which was supplied to the Gazette, the current goals of the group are to grow the number of members to conduct additional rallies, and work to “impede VA privatization” by hosting a town hall around Veterans Day to draw attention to concerns.
VA spokesperson Pete Kasperowicz responded to the privatization claim in an email Thursday morning.
“VA privatization is a far-left canard that has been thoroughly debunked by VA’s massive growth over the years,” Kasperowicz wrote. “For instance, in fiscal year 2000, VA’s budget was $46 billion, and the department had roughly 219,000 employees. In 2025, VA’s budget is nearly $400 billion, and the department has roughly 467,000 employees. Further, the president’s FY2026 budget request would add billions more to VA’s budget, as would VA funding legislation moving through Congress.”
Paradis said that the group currently has around 60 members, consisting of military veterans, family members of veterans and former VA employees. In addition to demonstrating at the VA center in Leeds, Paradis also said the group has protested in front of the ongoing Big E festival in West Springfield.
“We’re here to defend and support our democracy and all the civil liberties that our veterans have fought to protect over many decades,” Paradis said. “We support our veterans. We don’t want any of their benefits or anything they’ve earned to be taken away.”
*This story has been updated to add comments from a Veterans Administration spokesman, and the headline has been changed to reflect potential cuts to the VA.