As both a veteran and former secretary of Defense, I believe it is important to give back to those who give so much to this country by putting their lives on the line. Our veterans are the heart and soul of what service to our nation is all about. The least we can do is give them and their families the support they need in order to achieve the American Dream they fought to protect.
The Department of Defense was able to do just that by supporting veteran-owned small businesses that contributed to national security. These businesses were not just agile agents of innovation. Veterans brought knowledge and experience from years of military training to their work.
The veterans who own these small businesses understood the needs of the defense customer and were totally devoted to achieving the mission of making sure the U.S had the strongest military force on Earth. Quietly serving from Huntsville, Ala. to San Diego, Calif., from Orlando, Fla. to Northern Virginia, they do everything from designing lunar landing pads to upgrading cybersecurity to delivering health care to other veterans.
So why were those veteran-owned small businesses suddenly a target for DOGE?Â
The Veterans Administration has canceled $2 billion in contracts to veteran-owned businesses. Since then, terminations have been rolling out from every agency, from the Department of Defense to NOAA. These veteran owners have in turn been forced to fire their veteran employees and, in some cases, file for bankruptcy.
As a former chair of the House Budget Committee and director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Clinton administration, I believe in government efficiency and savings. As a matter of fact, we achieved $500 billion in deficit reduction and eventually balanced the budget — following the law and the budget process and carefully evaluating the programs and services that could be reduced and those that should be supported. Congress supported our budgets.
DOGE ignores both the law and Congress and gives little consideration to what works and what fails to.
In my various positions in government, from Congress to OMB to the CIA and the Pentagon, I have seen firsthand the value of veteran-owned small businesses. They are devoted to doing a good job because they know it could make the difference between life and death.
If the Trump administration really cares about savings and going after waste, fraud and abuse, I would suggest that they focus on the defense procurement process and do a careful evaluation and study of cost overruns that can run into the billions of dollars. That would require adherence to the budget process, fairness, common sense and careful review of all programs, not a haphazard and reckless approach that hurts those who have served their country.
Veteran-owned small businesses are providing services and products at lower prices. They care about protecting the strength of our defense industrial base because they understand what it means to protect the lives of our warriors. These veterans fought to give the American people a chance at the American Dream. We owe it to them to give veteran-owned small businesses the same chance to succeed in protecting the country. They have earned our support.
Leon E. Panetta served as secretary of Defense, CIA director, White House chief of staff and director of the Office of Management and Budget. He represented California in Congress from 1977 to 1993.
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