Emily Erroa, an Army veteran who was fired from the Department of Energy last month, called Habba's comments "ridiculous" and "insulting."

Top White House adviser Alina Habba suggested Tuesday that some of the country’s military veterans might not be “fit to have a job at the moment” while defending the spate of government layoffs led by DOGE.

"We are going to care for them in the right way," Habba said. "But perhaps they're not fit to have a job at this moment or not willing to come to work."