Veteran who went viral confronting GOP congressman has no regrets

By / / U.S. News

A U.S. Army veteran who went viral this week for confronting a Republican congressman over Donald Trump’s neofascist agenda and Elon Musk’s “efficiency” scam is finally speaking out about the incident.

Jay Carey, a Democrat and former congressional candidate, told Asheville Watchdog on Friday that his outburst—calling Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) a liar and demanding he “do his job”—was “necessary” to get the GOP lawmaker’s attention.

“I think it was the only way to really get his attention, and it was the energy that I want to see from everyone — to stand up and to speak back to the representatives that aren’t serving us, as is their duty.”

WHY IT MATTERS: Republican lawmakers continue to face backlash for supporting Trump-backed budget cuts, including slashes to veterans’ services, despite their rhetoric about supporting the troops.

THE BACKGROUND: Carey, who served in the military for more than 20 years, went viral after he shouted at Edwards during the event, drawing applause from the crowd before being escorted out. His comments resonated with many Americans frustrated by Republican policies targeting veterans and working-class families.

THE DETAILS: Edwards attempted to downplay the cuts, claiming there were no reductions in VA staff and insisting that neither Trump nor Elon Musk—who has increasingly influenced GOP policy—intended to eliminate veteran-support jobs.

  • In reality, the VA fired over 1,000 workers in February, and a leaked memo detailed Trump’s plan to cut more than 80,000 VA jobs, disproportionately affecting veterans who make up 25% of the workforce.
  • The cuts have sparked outrage, culminating in a 3,000-person protest in Washington, D.C., where demonstrators accused Trump of abandoning his commitments to veterans, according to Stars and Stripes.

WATCH THE CONFRONTATION: The whole thing was caught on video and quickly went viral.

WHAT’S NEXT: As Trump and Republicans push their radical agenda to destroy the federal government, expect public anger to continue to grow.