Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada's Third District applauded the creation of the new Congressional Military Family Caucus today. A founding member of the Caucus, Titus highlighted the important role military families play in the safety and security of our nation.
"The brave men and women in uniform who serve our nation make a tremendous sacrifice for our safety and security," Congresswoman Titus said. "We must not forget that they are not the only ones who bear that burden. When our servicemen and women are deployed, their families are deployed as well. While their loved ones are gone, it is our duty to care for their families, and when they return home, we must honor our commitment to our veterans and their families. The creation of this new caucus will help Congress take additional steps to ensure that military families' unique needs are addressed."
The Congressional Military Family Caucus will promote the interests of family members of the uniform services and educate Members and staff on resources the military has for military families as well as develop legislation to support military families. The caucus has identified key issues they will focus on, including the effects of multiple deployments on families, spouse employment, childcare, health care, education, and families with a special needs dependent.
Their work will build of the efforts of this Congress to care for our veterans and military families. Earlier this year, Congress passed legislation to provide service members $500 for every month they were held under stop-loss orders and had their retirement suspended or enlistment extended. Congress also passed a provision to extend G.I. bill benefits to all children of service members who died on active duty since September 11, 2001.
The bipartisan caucus, made up of 74 members of the House, is co-chaired by Representatives Sanford Bishop of Georgia and Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington.