Sen. Ruben Gallego invites Valley veteran fired by DOGE to Trump’s State of the Union

PHOENIX — U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego invited a disabled Valley veteran who was fired from his federal job to join him at President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday.

Two weeks ago, Phoenix resident Kyle Rahn received an email stating he would no longer be employed after spending more than 16 years working in public service, according to a press release. 

Rahn served three tours in Iraq before landing a job at the Department of Defense and went on to work for the Department of Homeland Security.

“When I served in Iraq, I fought to defend this country because I believe in what America stands for: freedom, opportunity and the promise that hard work means something. I never thought that after years of service and sacrifice, I’d be cast aside and fired by email without warning or consideration,” Rahn said in the release.

What could Trump discuss at his State of the Union speech?

Rahn is one of thousands of federal workers who were abruptly fired by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, aka DOGE.

It is common for well-known guests to be in attendance during presidential speeches, but it hasn’t been confirmed whether Musk will be present.

In addition to addressing the government downsizing, Trump could use the first State of the Union speech of his second term as an opportunity to discuss his vision for the country and his plans for the war in Ukraine.

Last week, Trump held a controversial televised meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which Arizona Rep. Greg Stanton called “a very sad moment” for the country.

Why did Ruben Gallego invite fired veteran to State of the Union?

Gallego has spoken out against the Trump administration’s federal firings of veteran workers. Two other Valley veterans who worked for the Phoenix VA for nearly a year also lost their jobs. They managed about 1,500 veteran caseloads and performed well in their job roles, according to the release.

“Kyle stepped up to serve his country both in combat and as a civilian, and this is how he was repaid. It’s a disgraceful betrayal of our country’s promise to take care of the brave men and women who serve us. I invited Kyle to the State of the Union because I want Trump, Musk and their DOGE minions to look him in the eyes and see the faces of the people their reckless chaos is hurting,” Gallego said in the release.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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