Veterans, family members and advocates will gather on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday to support the constitutional rights of service members and their dependents and press for fair elections and protections of democratic norms.
The Unite for Veterans Coalition, a nonprofit organization that advocates for veterans’ healthcare and benefits, as well as constitutional accountability, will hold a rally to highlight the importance of fair elections, the military vote and the importance of counting all ballots.
The speakers also plan to denounce the Iran war and voice their support for the impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — a vote on which could occur the same day as the gathering.
The group is particularly outraged that the Trump administration launched the Iran war without a plan to evacuate military families living in the region before the conflict began in February.
“[Hegseth] has shown us that he is willing to put Americans’ lives at risk and treat it like a joke. He has shown us that he is willing to put military families, children, in harm’s way,” said Kristofer Goldsmith, an Iraq War veteran who founded Task Force Butler, a nonprofit established to combat authoritarianism.
Also on the agenda is to address the ongoing National Guard deployments in Washington, D.C., and urge the Trump administration to “send the troops home,” according to a news release. Since August 2025, about 9,700 National Guard troops from across the nation have been shipped into the city in service of the “Make DC Safe and Beautiful” mission ordered by Trump.
Wednesday’s rally will feature veteran speakers who will focus on upcoming legislation important to veterans, including the Major Richard Star Act — which would eliminate an offset that medically retired military personnel pay to receive their Veterans Affairs benefits — and the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, which includes the Major Richard Star Act and roughly 60 other pieces of key legislation but also includes a provision that reduces compensation for two disabilities to cover the cost and votes on the Iran war.
The Unite for Veterans Coalition organized an event last June on the National Mall in Washington to advocate for the protection of benefits for veterans and protest job cuts at the Department of Veterans Affairs under President Donald Trump’s efforts to reduce the size of the federal government.
The rally begins at 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time at Upper Senate Park, located north of the Senate Fountain on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol.
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