Seth Meyers checks in on one of President Trump's other executive orders
Kellyanne Conway complained on CNN Tuesday that the media only discusses one of President Trump's executive orders — that one banning travelers from seven majority-Muslim nations and all refugees — and on Tuesday's Late Night, Seth Meyers heeded her call. He checked up on the federal hiring freeze Trump signed in his first days in office — especially how it affects the Department of Veterans Affairs.
"Throughout the campaign, Trump constantly brought attention to problems at the VA, specifically how poorly it is run," Meyers said, "and he's right about that. For many years now, under both Bush and Obama, many parts of the VA have been found guilty of fraud and of providing shoddy health care to our veterans." But after the election, Trump didn't meet with any veterans' groups, and his federal hiring freeze won't only make things worse at already understaffed VA hospitals, it will also hit all veterans disproportionately hard, since vets are given preferential federal hiring status.
"This whole thing is just another example of Trump signing these executive orders in haste, without thinking about the consequences and in turn leaving a trail of chaos," Meyers said. "You know, at first I thought he was just showing off his signature, but now I think he's going, 'Hey, could someone read this to me? I feel like it might be a terrible idea.'" Watch, and learn more about Trump's up-and-down relationship with veterans, below. Peter Weber
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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