Beth Macy, Democratic candidate for Virginia's 6th Congressional District, held a campaign event Tuesday in Winchester, focused on veterans. WMRA’s Ayse Pirge reports.
The attendees at the Veterans Appreciation and Support Event showed enthusiasm despite a thunderstorm.
BETH MACY: Our current congressman… haven’t heard much about him from the war that’s currently costing us $11,500 a second. Although we know he voted for it.
Beth Macy is the Democratic candidate for Virginia’s 6th District, which covers much of the Shenandoah Valley from Winchester to Roanoke. The district is strongly Republican, and has consistently voted for incumbent candidate Ben Cline since 2018.
It’s a well-funded race. As of July 15th, according to Ballotpedia, Macy had raised more than $1.6 million. Cline had raised more than $1.4 million.
JOHN BUTLER: I’m a product of the Cold War. I was born in ‘51, when the Korean War was getting ramped up.
John Butler is a high-ranking retired U.S. Navy officer who was also one of the speakers at the event.
BUTLER: This is not a campaign stop. This is a VA specific for veterans. So, we need to know your concerns, so we can address them. Or we can find the right people to address them.
Paul Sullivan, also a former military official, mentioned various bills relating to veterans, such as the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act.
PAUL SULLIVAN: In order for this new bill to grant benefits for current veterans, it would cut benefits for future veterans. Never before has that happened. So it’s running into a serious logjam in D.C. That may be voted on very soon.
Sullivan also spoke about HR3944, a bill he says would partially privatize the Department of Veterans Affairs, or VA.
SULLIVAN: And that passed in June of 2025. And here’s what happened: $12 billion in VA spending targeted and originally identified for VA government employees was taken from VA’s spending bill. And in its place was $12 billion to fund private care. OK? What this resulted in is having tens of thousands of VA employees who are getting fired and replaced by private sector providers.
Beth Macy spoke about her experience as the daughter of a World War II veteran, as well as cuts to the VA led by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
MACY: The country is breaking its promise to those who have served. From Elon Musk’s cuts at the VA last year, to current bills in Congress that will privatize the VA, and cut existing benefits for veterans, the powerful in Washington are turning their backs on our veterans.
