Military & Veterans: Keeping Our Promise to Those Who Serve

Virginia’s First District is home to thousands of service members, veterans, and military families. Some of you chose this assignment, and many of you didn’t — that’s the nature of military life. But I want you to hear this clearly: I’m glad you’re here. Whether your stay is two years or twenty, you are part of this community, and you deserve to be supported, respected, and welcomed.

As an Army officer, I learned early that service isn’t just a profession — it is a sacrifice carried by the entire family. Behind every soldier, sailor, airman, Marine, Guardian, and Coast Guardsman is a spouse juggling careers interrupted by PCS orders, a child switching schools again, or a family navigating deployments and uncertainty. We cannot claim to honor service without honoring the people who make that service possible.

My commitment is simple: If you wear the uniform, have worn the uniform, or support someone who does, you deserve a representative who fights just as hard for you as you fight for this country.

Supporting Military Families

1. Expanding Military Spouse Career Opportunities

Military spouses face one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation — not because they lack skills, but because they move constantly. We must break down barriers that prevent spouses from building stable careers. That means strengthening remote work policies, expanding interstate licensing reciprocity, creating career pipelines with local employers, and incentivizing federal contractors to hire and retain military spouses.

2. Improving Childcare, Schools, and Community Support

Frequent moves can disrupt kids’ education and strain family stability. We need stronger partnerships between DoD schools and local districts, expanded access to affordable childcare, and increased support for EFMP families so no one feels left behind or forced out of service because their child’s needs cannot be met.

3. Making Virginia a Welcoming Duty Station

No service member should feel like a temporary visitor in the place they’re ordered to live. From improving housing quality to strengthening community connections, I will work to ensure that every family stationed here feels valued, supported, and at home.

Standing Up for Our Veterans

1. Strengthening VA Community Care & Reducing Wait Times

Too many veterans still struggle to access timely mental health care, specialty appointments, and essential treatment. Community Care should be a lifeline — not a maze. We need clearer referral pathways, stronger oversight, expanded provider networks, and modernized systems so veterans get the right care, when they need it, where they live. No veteran should wait months for an appointment or drive hours for care that could be provided locally.

2. Meaningful Tax Incentives for Companies Hiring Veterans

Hiring a veteran shouldn’t be a PR move — it should be a strategic investment. Veterans bring leadership, discipline, problem-solving, and mission-focused work ethics that strengthen any organization. I support tax incentives for companies that hire veterans at all levels — not just entry-level positions. We must create pathways into management, skilled trades, cybersecurity, engineering, logistics, and leadership roles where veterans’ experience can shine.

3. Expanding Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Resources

We lose more veterans to suicide than we ever should. Expanding crisis support, peer programs, transition assistance, and access to culturally competent mental health providers is essential. Transitioning out of service shouldn’t feel like falling off a cliff — and no veteran should ever feel alone.

4. Protecting GI Bill, Home Loan, and Earned Benefits

These benefits were promised — and they must be protected. I will oppose any attempt to privatize, limit, or undercut the GI Bill, and I will work to ensure veterans have the support they need to buy homes, pursue education, and build stable futures.

Why This Matters

Service is not a political talking point — it is a bond of trust. When Americans volunteer to defend this country, we promise in return to care for them and their families. That promise must be honored fully, not halfway. I’ve led soldiers, been a military spouse, lived the grind of the military lifestyle, and seen firsthand how service shapes every part of a family’s life. I know what it means to shoulder responsibility, to endure deployments, to move every few years, and to build resilience in uncertain circumstances.

My approach is rooted in respect, experience, and action. Because supporting our military and veterans isn’t charity — it’s a debt we owe.

This district, this state, and this nation are stronger because of you. And as your representative, I will never stop fighting to make sure you receive the support, dignity, and opportunities you’ve earned.