A Call to Defend the Constitution: Veterans March on Washington DC

Veterans from across the United States are preparing to converge on Washington DC on March 14 to defend the Constitution and uphold the oath they swore to protect it. This peaceful protest, widely publicized on social media and organized through the website NowMarch, is a direct response to the Trump administration’s controversial policies. Among the key issues driving this movement are proposed cuts to Social Security, federal job losses for veterans, the pardon of January 6 rioters, and reductions in veterans’ healthcare services. For these veterans, the march is not just a political statement but a fulfillment of their sworn duty to safeguard the Constitution against what they perceive as unconstitutional actions by the Trump administration.

One of the promotional posters for the march notably features a quote from General Mark Milley: "We don’t take an oath to a king." This sentiment reflects the organizers’ frustration with the administration’s perceived disregard for constitutional principles. The White House recently fueled this sentiment by posting an edited photo of President Trump wearing a crown with the caption "Long Live the King," further antagonizing critics and monarchy-weary Americans. For veterans, the Last month, the White House posted an edited photo of President Donald Trump wearing a crown with the caption, "Long Live the King."When individuals join the armed forces or take an oath of office as a politician, they swear to protect the U.S. Constitution from "all enemies, foreign and domestic." The participants of this march see it as their responsibility to speak out against what they perceive as unconstitutional actions by the Trump administration.Newsweek has contacted NowMarch via email for further comment.Why It MattersMany veterans have been laid off from government positions due to cuts implemented work by Elon Musk’s Department for Government Efficiency (DOGE), as veterans make up nearly 30 percent of the federal workforce.These layoffs have also affected veterans’ healthcare, which is tied to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). A leaked memo from the Trump administration revealed plans to cut as many as 83,000 jobs from the department this year.VA therapists are struggling to treat patients while fearing for their own job security, VA patients are reportedly not receiving clinical trial treatments for cancer, and the VA has canceled suicide prevention training due to recent budget reductions.The march is deliberately scheduled for March 14, as Section 3 of the 14th Amendment addresses insurrectionists.The 14th Amendment states: "No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability."The march organizers have stated: "The United States is under siege from within—hijacked by an illegitimate president and administration and protected by a system unwilling to uphold our constitutional safeguards."NowMarch