Rep. John Gillette, a Republican serving Arizona’s 30th House District since 2023, recently posted a series of tweets addressing changes within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and referencing former President Barack Obama.
On August 16, 2025, Gillette wrote on X: “The VA is cutting layers of bureaucratic waste, and positions that are not care related. They are hiring providers to speed up care without the BS it takes to be seen. 611 DEI instructors were fired. They had their own HR 1500 gone. PA and NP replaced them. Go back to Illinois!” The post referenced administrative changes at the VA, mentioning layoffs among Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) instructors and the hiring of physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs).
Later that day, Gillette published another tweet: “What did you say, then….. ?” The message was accompanied by links but provided no further context.
In a third post on August 16, Gillette cited an often-referenced quote involving former President Barack Obama: “Obama ‘Tell Vald I will have more flexibility after the election'”
John Gillette began representing Arizona’s LD30 in the State House following his election in 2023. He succeeded Christian Solorio in this role.
