Maine AFL-CIO warns against further cuts to Department of Veterans Affairs

“I’ve Seen Tears in the Hallway”: Federal Workers Decry Human Toll of Funding Cuts at AFL-CIO Event

Senator Thom Tillis was invited to hear testimony from federal workers affected by recent government cuts Tuesday evening but didn’t bite, so instead, a life-sized cardboard cutout of the Republican senator was erected inside a windowless meeting room on the first floor of an M&F Bank in Durham.“Turn to him and address him with your question like he’s really here,” an organizer quietly instructed speakers as they prepared to deliver remarks. Con…

Maine AFL-CIO warns against further cuts to Department of Veterans Affairs

National and state union leaders discussed the impact of federal cuts.

State and national labor leaders highlight outsized impact federal cuts have on veterans

Maine AFL-CIO President Cynthia Phinney (center) and National AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler held a listening session with Maine workers on April 30, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Andy O'Brien/ Maine AFL-CIO)When Scott Surette left the U.S. Marine Corps after serving in the Gulf War, with tours in Iraq and Kuwait, he took a job at the U.S. Postal Service.  Like millions of other veterans, he was drawn to the stability of federal employment and benefits…