Today, Rep. Pete Aguilar announced that Ralph Figueroa, a U.S. Army veteran, graduate student at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) and Student Veterans of America’s 2024 Student Veteran of the Year, will be his guest to President Donald Trump’s First Address to a Joint Session of Congress on March 4, 2025. The Trump and Elon Musk-led White House have fired nearly 6,000 veteran federal workers since taking office while promising to slash Medicaid and cut off funding for VA health care.

“As Donald Trump, Elon Musk and Republicans continue to make massive funding cuts to veterans services, and lay off thousands of veterans from vital civil service jobs, Ralph’s commitment to his community serves as a powerful antidote to the chaos and confusion the White House is inflicting on the American people,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar. “All of us know that the President will not tell the truth during his joint address to Congress. House Democrats will never waver in supporting our nation’s veterans and holding the Trump White House accountable for the devastating cuts to the VA and for firing thousands of veterans. No one understands the harm these reckless actions will cause better than Ralph because he is working with local veterans every day. I look forward to partnering with him as we continue to fight back against Republican attacks on our veterans.”

“I am honored to join Representative Aguilar as his guest to the First Address to a Joint Session of Congress on Tuesday,” said Ralph Figueroa, U.S. Army veteran and CSUSB student veteran leader. “As a dedicated student leader, my top priority is to give back to the veteran community by making sure they are able to find good-paying, stable jobs so they can thrive. The current administration’s layoffs are harming veterans by exacerbating the problems they already struggle with, by taking their jobs away and making their lives harder. I hope that my presence tonight serves as a reminder of the importance of giving back to our veteran community.”

Ralph Figueroa is a U.S. Army veteran and graduate student in the California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) Rehabilitation Counseling Master’s Program. At the CSUSB Veterans Success Center, Ralph works as a master-level paraprofessional specializing in veterans resources and benefits advising. Ralph is a dedicated student leader in the veteran community, serving as President of the CSUSB Student Veterans Organization (SVO) since fall 2022. In January 2025, Ralph was named the 2024 Student Veteran of the Year by the Student Veterans of America. 

Joining the military at age 17, Ralph served in the U.S. Army for 12 years. While in the Army, he worked as a Cannon Fire Direction Specialist and a Fire Direction Center Specialist. He was deployed twice during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) before being honorably discharged in 2006.

Ralph serves as the 5th District Commissioner of the San Bernardino County Veterans Advisory Committee, where he works to unify veterans of San Bernardino County and advocate on their behalf to ensure their voices are heard.

An analysis by the House Appropriations Committee Democrats reveals that Donald Trump and Elon Musk have fired nearly 6,000 veteran federal workers since taking office. The federal government is the largest employer of veterans, making up 30 percent of the civilian workforce. The Trump administration’s stated goal is to eliminate 75 percent of the federal workforce, which could mean that up to 500,000 veterans could lose their jobs. 

The fact sheet from the House Appropriations Committee Democrats detailing how many veterans Donald Trump and Elon Musk have fired so far can be found here and the analysis can be found here.

Rep. Aguilar serves as Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and as a member of the House Committee on Appropriations.