Warner Urges Military Spouse Commission to Hear Directly From Virginia Military Families

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) urged the newly formed Department of Defense Military Spouse Commission to expand its outreach to military families across Virginia, particularly spouses who have recently navigated the challenges of extended deployments and spouses of junior enlisted servicemembers. In a letter to the Commission’s leadership, Sen. Warner emphasized the importance of providing venues and opportunities to hear directly from military spouses with a broad range of experiences to ensure their concerns and recommendations are reflected in the Commission’s work. Sen. Warner called for opportunities for Virginia military spouses to provide input directly to the Commission, including through local engagement in the Commonwealth.

In June, Sen. Warner met with military families in Hampton Roads, including spouses of servicemembers who were deployed or had recently returned from deployment, to hear firsthand about the challenges they face. Families described the strain of extended deployments and the difficulties of finding affordable child care, navigating military benefits, accessing timely health care and mental health support, and working with employers on needed support and flexibility during deployment periods, all while managing the stress of a loved one serving in dangerous conditions. These concerns mirror several of the priorities identified by the Commission during its inaugural meeting last month.

This Friday, Sen. Warner will host a follow-up roundtable with military families in Hampton Roads to continue these conversations, discuss progress on the concerns raised earlier this year, and identify additional steps to better support servicemembers and their loved ones.

In a letter to Commission Chairwoman Jennifer Hegseth and Executive Director Desiree Thompson Sayle, Sen. Warner emphasized the need to ensure military spouses have meaningful opportunities to share their experiences and help shape the Commission’s recommendations.

Sen. Warner wrote, “I share the goal of ensuring that we as a nation are supporting the spouses and families who are standing alongside our men and women in uniform. I would urge the Commission to expand opportunities for military spouses to engage your efforts, and to draw from a broad range of perspectives and experiences. Virginia spouses who I have spoken with would add valuable insights to the Commission’s work, and I would invite you to hear from Virginia spouses – including through direct and local engagement.”

Sen. Warner continued, “As the Commission undertakes its mission, I would invite you to engage directly with military spouses in Virginia to ensure their experiences and recommendations are reflected in your work. Ensuring that the Commission is hearing direct feedback and perspectives from a range of spouses – including of junior enlisted personnel – is critically important. I would also urge you to provide opportunities for individuals to engage the Commission directly, in addition to their current ability to submit comments ahead of the Commission’s meetings. Home to some of the nation’s largest military communities, Virginia has a significant stake in the work that you all will conduct, and Virginia spouses have valuable insights that can drive your actions.”

The letter concludes by requesting additional information about how the Commission plans to gather input from military spouses of different backgrounds, provide opportunities for direct engagement, incorporate feedback into its recommendations, and work with military and veteran advocacy groups.

The full letter is available here and below.

Hampton is an independent city in Hampton Roads.