Trump Creates 20-Member Military Spouse Commission as Families Face 20%+ Unemployment
Updated
Updated · Military Times · Aug 3
Trump Creates 20-Member Military Spouse Commission as Families Face 20%+ Unemployment
2 articles · Updated · Military Times · Aug 3
Summary
More than 20 military spouses will serve on a new White House commission that Trump created by executive order to recommend fixes for family quality-of-life problems.
Military spouses have faced unemployment above 20% for more than a decade, alongside persistent complaints over housing, childcare, healthcare, education and deployment-related strain.
Jennifer Hegseth will chair the unpaid panel, whose members include spouses of service secretaries, Joint Chiefs leaders and senior enlisted advisers; it will meet monthly and file annual reports.
The commission is set to expire in two years unless extended, and its role alongside the Pentagon's Family Readiness Council remains unclear because that congressionally mandated body has not met since an early-2025 advisory review.
The move adds to years of federal efforts to improve military family life, including 2025 pay raises for younger enlisted troops, but officials and families say core problems still persist.