Veteran advocate Kevin Meggett presses mayoral team, warns of VA staff cuts and organizes rallies

Kevin C. Meggett, a veteran advocate with Veteran Action Now and commander in the National Association for Black Veterans (Bronx chapter), told BronxNet he has questioned the newly elected mayor about whether the administration has a veterans platform and said promised follow-up meetings with the mayor’s team have not yet occurred.

Meggett said he has pressed public officials to recognize veterans’ needs and accused city and state systems of underfunding veteran services. He raised concerns about plans he described as moving toward privatization of Veterans Affairs services and warned that proposed staff reductions (he cited a figure of "35,000 jobs") would reduce service capacity for veterans.

"You cannot put money over patients," he said, arguing cuts to staffing and outsourcing would harm veterans who rely on VA medical centers. Meggett described organizing activities including monthly events, a March gala, a planned press conference and rallies he said will push for what veterans have "earned, not given."

He said he had recently asked the mayor directly whether he is "anti-veteran," and said the mayor replied no; Meggett added he still seeks a substantive platform and meetings with the administration’s team.

Meggett provided an on-air contact (transcript email: kevincmeggett1word,@gmail.com) and asked viewers to follow his organization’s work and the Bronx chapter of the National Association for Black Veterans for event details.

The interview mixes first-hand advocacy accounts, organizing plans and public-policy claims; Meggett’s staffing and privatization figures were stated as assertions on the program and were not corroborated within the segment.