Washington, D.C, District of Columbia Jan 4, 2026 (Issuewire.com) - A new transparency report powered by Grok AI has confirmed a critical gap in advocacy for the nation's combat-injured veterans. As S.Amdt. 4056—the critical amendment filed by Senator Richard Blumenthal to attach the Major Richard Star Act to the 2026 Appropriations bill—sits in the Senate, 54,000 families are losing millions in earned military retirement pay. Meanwhile, the nation's largest Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) have effectively gone silent on the digital platform that drives legislative news.
The 54K Veterans Organization today credited Elon Musk’s X platform and its integrated AI, Grok, for providing the real-time data needed to document this silence.
"I love this AI because it provides undeniable, real-time accountability," said Senior Chief Shane Junkert, USN (Ret.), lead advocate for 54KVeterans.org. "Beyond the data, Grok Imagine is one of the best AI content creators available for price and quality. It allows us to visualize the reality of this fight and tell our story when the organizations paid to represent us are looking the other way."
The Grok Audit: "Just the Facts"
Using Grok’s real-time access to the X platform, the Organization ran a neutral query to audit the activity of the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and Disabled American Veterans (DAV) regarding the Major Richard Star Act.
The Prompt: "When is the last time this account has mentioned the Major Richard Star Act or Major Star Act here on X?"
The Grok Verified Results:
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Wounded Warrior Project (@WWP):
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The Reality: 193 Days of Silence while combat-injured members lose their earned retirement pay.
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Veterans of Foreign Wars (@VFWHQ):
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The Reality: 139 Days of Silence during the critical Defense Appropriations markup.
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Disabled American Veterans (@DAVHQ):
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The Reality: 73 Days of Silence during the end-of-year legislative push.
The Strategic Disconnect: $14.1 Billion for Drones, $0 for Major Richard Star Act
54K Veterans annoucned that the silence from these major organizations is even more concerning when contrasted with the timeline of Senate spending and the fight to save the legislation.
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September 9, 2025: The Department of Defense awards a $14.1 billion contract ceiling to General Atomics for the "International Remotely Piloted Aircraft IDIQ Solution" (Contract FA8689-25-D-B001), a move championed by Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS).
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October 8, 2025: Just 29 days later, Senator Wicker took to the Senate floor to object to the Major Richard Star Act, stating: "My colleague is asking for an entitlement that does amount to a double benefit and that we cannot afford... Therefore, I do object."
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December 2025: In response to the blockade, Senator Blumenthal filed S.Amdt. 4056 to force the Act into the must-pass Appropriations bill.
"The Senate found $14 billion for a drone contract in September, but by October, they claimed they couldn't 'afford' to pay the veterans injured in those wars," Junkert said. "Now, in the 11th hour, S.Amdt. 4056 is our last line of defense in the Appropriations bill. While this critical fight for the amendment is happening right now, the Veteran Service Organizations who briefed Congress that this was their '#1 Priority' are silent on X."
Local News Leads, VSOs Lag
While national organizations with massive lobbying budgets remained quiet on social media, local journalists and grassroots veterans were left to expose the truth.
A recent report by WTVA 9 News in Mississippi directly confronted Senator Wicker’s blockade, providing the accountability that VSO headquarters failed to generate.
"It is embarrassing in my opinion that a local news station in Tupelo, Mississippi, is doing a better job of fighting for combat-injured veterans with their news report, than organizations with headquarters in Washington, D.C.," Junkert added. "Combat-injured veterans are now creating grassroots organizations like PassTheAct.org and 54Kveterans.org specifically due to the lack of action from the Veteran Service Organizations who claim to represent us."
Call to Action
The 54K Veterans Organization is encouraging all veterans to use Grok on X to verify the activity of their own organizations.
"Don't take our word for it," Junkert said. "Ask Grok. If your Veteran Service Organization isn't fighting for S.Amdt. 4056 on X, they aren't fighting where it matters. With the millions of dollars they have for lobbying, they should have someone dedicated to X for this—especially as we are on the 1-yard line to get this bill passed."
About 54KVeterans.org The 54K Veterans Organization is a grassroots organization of combat-injured retirees fighting to pass the Major Richard Star Act through S.Amdt. 4056. They rely on data, transparency, and the X platform to fight for the benefits they say they earned.
Media Contact
54k Veterans Shane@54Kveterans.org 817-771-3577 489 Army Drive box 24130 http://54KVeterans.org
