HISTORIC MILESTONE: CONGRESS TO OPEN SESSION WITH 100 VETERAN LAWMAKERS, THE MOST IN A DECADE
Having more Veterans in Congress is always a good thing because they get to be represented and get their voices heard. Next year, there will be 100 Veterans appointed to Congress, which means that distinct viewpoints from them will help address the issues confronting the nation. Their participation will help in tackling issues that concern Veterans, such as VA benefits payments issues.
The result of the recent election also meant that there will be more Veterans serving at the beginning of the next congressional session than there have been in almost ten years. Out of the 189 Republican and Democratic Veterans who ran for Congress, 87 were elected. Their victories will increase the number of Veterans in Congress to 100 at the start of next year, along with the 13 senators who were not running for reelection this cycle.
2025 Will See an Increased Number of Veterans in Congress
According to this year's election results, the number of Veterans serving in Congress is gradually increasing. Seth Lynn, a Marine Corps Veteran and executive director of the Veterans Campaign, said that this could be a trend that we will see more in the future. There is data showing that post-9/11 Veterans are aging into Congress and are reversing the trend set by Vietnam military Veterans not running for office.
Lynn added that the freshman class of Congress tends to have a higher proportion of Veterans in it than the House overall. After President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20, the number of Veterans in Congress will be down to 98. However, that still puts them one spot ahead of the 97 Veterans who began this congressional session in 2023, the most Veterans in Congress since 102 served at the beginning of the session in 2017.
Due to slower counting in one contest and a recount in the other, The Associated Press called the final two Veteran-related races weeks after the November election last week. This secured the number of Veterans in Congress for the next year.
The two close contests were held last week: Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, retained her seat against a Democratic opponent by less than 800 votes. The second one is for Army Veteran Derek Tran, a Democrat, who defeated incumbent GOP Rep. Michelle Steel for a California House seat by less than 600 votes.
Next year, Miller-Meeks will be one of nine female Veterans in Congress, which is a record. Two newcomers will be among the women: Sheri Biggs, R-S.C., a Republican lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, and Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H., a Navy Reserve Veteran and wife of National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
There will be 26 Democratic Veterans and 72 Republican Veterans overall at the beginning of the new Congress because 21 Democrats and 66 Republicans won their races.
Benefits of Having More Veterans Serving in the Congress
Veterans frequently add a spirit of unity and bipartisanship in the Congress. Beyond political differences, their shared experience of serving the country fosters a spirit of cooperation and shared purpose. On important issues, this unity can promote more productive communication and collaboration by bridging partisan gaps.
Veterans can act as a unifying factor during a period of growing political polarization by reminding their peers of the value of cooperating for the good of the nation. When it comes to proposing and passing legislation, Veteran members are more effective, and active-duty & Veteran members are more efficient than their nonveteran colleagues.
The efficiency in the work that they show is probably because Veterans are more likely to interact with people from different backgrounds. Six members of the top 20 House legislators with military experience are listed on the Bipartisan Index of The Lugar Center. For two of the Senate's top ten, the same is true.
Veterans in Congress act as champions for their fellow service members, Veterans, uniformed families, and survivors, in addition to the advantages of successful legislation and greater cooperation. They are aware of the difficulties military members encounter, ranging from the stress of deployment to readjusting to civilian life.
They are able to create and support laws that cater to the requirements of the uniformed forces community because of their empathy and direct understanding. Veteran lawmakers who understand the sacrifices made by those who serve frequently support initiatives like better health care services, mental health support, and educational perks. This is all the reason to know that the country needs more Veterans to enact the changes that the people want to see.
Read next:
