As Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton fought the Department of Veterans Affairs rule that let veterans and their families get abortion care at the VA in cases of rape, incest or a threat to their health: he joined a letter of attorneys general against the rule in December 2022 and an amicus brief supporting an injunction against it in February 2023. The VA ended that care by a final rule published December 31, 2025, which bars the procedure at VA medical facilities unless the patient's life is endangered.
In July 2025 Paxton praised the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which eliminated veterans' exemption from SNAP's work rules, a change that reaches low-income veterans in Texas, where the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities counts close to 100,000 veterans receiving SNAP alongside Florida.
Ken Paxton's Letter, Brief and Statements on Care for Veterans
- Paxton Warned VA Doctors in 2022 That Providing Abortions to Veterans Was "At Their Own Risk". On December 22, 2022, Ken Paxton announced that he had sent a letter with other attorneys general to the Department of Veterans Affairs challenging its new rule, which makes taxpayer-funded abortions and abortion counseling available for certain veterans and beneficiaries; the letter says the VA lacks the legal authority to fund abortions and the rule violates the laws of several states. It warned: "Those who perform abortions based on the interim final rule, and in defiance of state or federal laws, do so at their own risk." The rule let VA medical personnel provide abortions in cases of rape or incest or when the patient's health was in danger, and the VA provided 88 abortions in the first year after the rule went into place, 64 of them because of a threat to the patient's health.
- Paxton Joined a 2023 Amicus Brief Seeking an Injunction Against VA Abortion Care. On February 7, 2023, Ken Paxton joined a Mississippi-led amicus brief supporting an injunction against the VA rule, filed with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in Waco on behalf of a VA nurse who opposes the rule. On December 31, 2025, the VA issued a final rule that reinstates the exclusions on abortions and abortion counseling from the medical benefits package, including where the pregnancy was the result of an act of rape or incest; it took effect January 30, 2026. Senator Patty Murray said that under the final rule, "VA providers are not even allowed to discuss abortion as an option with veteran patients."
- Paxton Praised a Law That Ended Veterans' Exemption From SNAP Work Rules. Ken Paxton posted on July 1, 2025 that the Senate-passed bill was "One step closer to massive tax cuts," and on July 3, 2025 that "President Trump's Big Beautiful Bill is HISTORIC legislation." The law he praised ended the exemption from SNAP's three-month time limit that veterans had held. Beginning in 2026, veterans must prove they are working, volunteering, in job training or looking for work for at least 80 hours a month to keep their food stamps beyond three months, unless they qualify for another exemption; nationally around 1.2 million veterans with lower incomes rely on SNAP, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
What the Policies Ken Paxton Fought For Mean for Texas Veterans
- Abortion care for veterans. For a veteran in Texas who becomes pregnant after a rape, the VA's 2025 rule returns to the earlier policy that requires patients seeking the procedure to go outside the department for care, Federal Times reported.
- Food aid for veterans. Stateline, citing the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, reported that the number of veterans who receive SNAP "is nearly 100,000 in Florida and Texas"; many states rolled out the stricter work requirement Feb. 1, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ken Paxton on Veterans
What is Ken Paxton's record on veterans under Trump?
Ken Paxton fought the VA's 2022 rule allowing abortion care for veterans in cases of rape, incest or a threat to their health, first with a letter warning VA providers and then with an amicus brief supporting an injunction. The VA ended that care in a final rule published December 31, 2025. In 2025 Paxton also praised the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which made low-income veterans meet SNAP work rules to keep their food aid.
Did Ken Paxton try to stop the VA from providing abortions to veterans?
Yes. Ken Paxton joined a letter in December 2022 saying the VA had no authority to fund abortions, and a February 2023 amicus brief asking the federal court in Waco to block the rule in a case brought on behalf of a VA nurse. The VA under the Trump administration then ended the rule with its own final rule in December 2025.
Does the VA still provide abortions to veterans after Ken Paxton's challenge?
Only to save a patient's life: after Ken Paxton's letter and brief, the VA issued a final rule on December 31, 2025, which prohibits the procedure at VA medical facilities unless the life of the mother is endangered. The 2022 rule had also covered CHAMPVA, which provides coverage to veterans' families, including children, along with caregivers of veterans.
Last updated: 2026-10-25