Senior Government Officials, Journalists, Jon Stewart Discuss the Human Impact of Military Service

The University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy and The War Horse News hosted a day-long convening to discuss the human impact of military service with journalists, scholars, and the senior government officials shaping the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. 

C-SPAN aired live coverage of the Evening Keynote, The Human Impact of Military Service – a Conversation With Jon Stewart and Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Kathleen Hicks. 

Stewart questioned Deputy Secretary Hicks about military spending and the amounts that go to troops and families versus defense contractors, including in a video clip that went viral on Twitter:

Exchange between @jonstewart and @DepSecDef Kathleen Hicks on the defense budget: "I can't figure out how $850 billion to a department means that the rank and file still have to be on food stamps. To me, that's fucking corruption." pic.twitter.com/2pu0geUyRE

— CSPAN (@cspan) April 7, 2023

It also was widely viewed on TikTok:

@cspanofficial Comedian #JonStewart pressed Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks on the #Pentagon’s budget, saying more money needs to go toward #servicemembers and #veterans instead of defense contractors. “We got out of 20 years of war and the Pentagon got a $50 billion raise,” Mr. Stewart said Thursday at the War Horse Symposium in Chicago. “I can’t figure out how $850 billion to a department means that the rank and file still have to be on food stamps. To me, that’s fucking corruption.” #cspan #news ♬ original sound - C-SPAN

Full coverage available at Newsweek.

The exchange prompted an awkward moment on CNN, as reported by TMZ.

“Congress gave [the military] billions of dollars to go to war, every year, for a lot of years, and then the veterans have to fight for money on the back end,” Stewart said.

Full coverage available at MilitaryTimes.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough shared his concerns about the limited number of claims filed for new benefits under the PACT Act among potentially eligible individuals. 

He hopes to see that number increase, but acknowledged the obstacles. "“There’s just a general lack of trust issue in VA,” he said. “It’s not everybody, and the trust numbers are getting better. But we have to get through the trust issue.”

Full coverage available at Army Times.

He also discussed the negotiations between the Department of Veterans Affairs and Oracle Cerner for an electronic health records system. "Nobody disputes the fact that we need a better electronic health record, a more modern electronic health record to ensure better outcomes," but it will not be ready for a planned June deployment. 

Full coverage available at Military.com.