Pierce Today

Washington, D.C. - On June 14, 2023,  U.S. Representative Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) announced her appointment to the House Armed Services Committee’s Bipartisan Quality of Life Panel.

“Meeting the basic needs of servicemembers is foundational to our national security,” said Rep. Strickland. “Since my first day in Congress, I have been committed to addressing the quality-of-life issues facing servicemembers including affordable and accessible housing, pay and benefits, and spousal employment. I look forward to working with my colleagues to fight for the dignity of the uniformed men and women who serve our country.”

“Service members and their families are at the heart of America’s defense. Ensuring they get the resources, services, and recognition they need and deserve must be the utmost priority for us as Members of Congress. That work, under the jurisdiction of the Military Personnel Subcommittee, is among our most sacred as Members of the House Armed Services Committee both for the benefit of the service members and their loved ones, and so that we are able to recruit and retain the most qualified, talented, and diverse individuals,” said Rep. Adam Smith (WA-09), House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member. “Rep. Strickland will be a strong champion for advancing that critically important work in her role on the Quality of Life Panel.”

“Blue Star Families is thrilled to be on the Hill this week celebrating the historic announcement of the members of the Quality of Life Panel,” said Kathy Roth-Douquet, Co-Founder and CEO of Blue Star Families. “This panel recognizes that creating solutions for issues impacting military families is critical to the long-term viability of the All-Volunteer Force. The inclusion of members such as Representative Marilyn Strickland—who championed bills to improve housing and reduce the financial burden on military families, address the needs of caregivers, and end food insecurity among the nation’s military families—ensures that this panel’s work will recognize and address interlocking issues and solutions. Together, with non-governmental supporters like Craig Newmark, we are leading a national movement to support our military families.”

“The formation of Congress’ quality of life panel marks a significant step in addressing military family readiness issues like pay and benefit inequities, food insecurity, and affordable housing,” said Shannon Razsadin, President and Executive Director of the Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN). “Taking care of our service members and their families is not only the right thing to do — it’s a national security imperative. Congresswoman Strickland will contribute tremendous insight to this panel as she has led the way in listening to military family voices and has worked toward bold change on Capitol Hill to strengthen the overall well-being of the military-connected community.”

“We are thrilled that Congresswoman Strickland will sit on the new House Armed Services Quality of Life Panel, since she truly understands that smart and strategic policy solutions are essential to addressing issues like military hunger,” said Abby J. Leibman, President & CEO of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger. “For far too long, food insecurity among currently serving military families has been overlooked, with barriers to critical food assistance programs like SNAP allowed to remain in place. It is unconscionable that military families who bravely serve our country needlessly struggle with hunger and cannot receive federal food assistance benefits. Congresswoman Strickland has been a leader in advancing policy solutions to this unconscionable crisis, and we look forward to continuing our work with her and the other members of this new panel to ensure that no military family struggles to put food on the table.”

The Quality of Life Panel was formed in 2023 to address and investigate quality of life issues affecting servicemembers and their families. Strickland, a member of the Subcommittee on Military Personnel, was selected for the panel alongside ranking Democratic Member Rep. Houlahan (PA-06) and Rep. Andy Kim (NJ-03). The panel will focus on critical servicemembers quality of life issues including compensation, childcare, housing, spouse support programs, and healthcare. 

Strickland represents one of the largest military installations, Joint Base Lewis-McChord. She has been a longtime supporter and advocate for addressing servicemembers and their families’ quality of life issues, especially as one of the top Democrats leading the charge on the military’s housing crisis. 

Strickland’s legislative efforts and accomplishments related to quality-life-issues for servicemembers and their families:

• Housing
  • Strickland, Bacon, Warnock Push To Fully Restore Servicemember Housing Allowance

  • Strickland Calls For Full Restoration Of Basic Allowance For Housing (BAH) For Servicemembers

  • Strickland Demands Solutions to Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s Housing Crisis

  • Strickland’s Provisions to Reduce Servicemember Housing Costs to Become Law

• Compensation
  • Strickland, Bacon Introduce Bill To Help Military Life Insurance Keep Pace With Economic Trends

  • House Republicans Unanimously Vote Down Strickland Amendment To Protect Military Pay Increases

• Spouse Support Programs
  • Strickland Leads Bipartisan Push For Feds To Recognize Military Spouse-Owned Small Businesses

  • Strickland, Salazar Launch Bipartisan Effort To Eliminate 90-Day State Residency Requirement For Military Spouses Applying For Citizenship

• Healthcare
  • Strickland Calls On Department of Defense Healthcare to Cover Infertility Treatment

• Military Hunger and More
  • Strickland Joins Food Lifeline to Discuss Military Hunger

  • Strickland Advocates for Servicemember Quality of Life Improvements with D.O.D. Top Brass

  • Strickland Appointed Chair Of Pivotal National Security Task Force

  • Strickland Introduces Legislation To Address Military Servicemember Food Insecurity

  • Strickland Expands Access to Housing and Childcare for Servicemembers

 Top articles:

• Roll Call: Push is on to boost troops’ housing allowance
• Foreign Affairs: Strickland Appointed Chair Of Pivotal National Security Task Force 
• Politico: Democratic women on the House Armed Services Committee block bid to force the Pentagon to overturn new abortion access policies
• Military Times: How successful are military spouses in getting federal contracts? 
• Stars and Stripes: House bill aims to ease path to citizenship for military spouses 
• Komo News: Feeding military families a priority amid surging food costs
• Nisqually Valley News: Congresswoman Strickland Spearheads Effort to Secure Federal Recognition for Small Businesses Owned by Military Spouses
• WFTV: Bill in Congress would increase housing allowance coverage for military families 
• Kiro 7: Strickland bill would increase housing allowance coverage for military families 
• The Seattle Medium: Strickland Introduced Bill To Help Ensure Financial Security For Military Families
• Politico: First in NatSec Daily – HASC Dems Urge SecDef to Counter Inflation
• Politico: Democratic women on the House Armed Services Committee block bid to force the Pentagon to overturn new abortion access policies

U.S. Representative Marilyn Strickland serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. She is the Congressional Black Caucus whip, a member of the New Democrat Coalition, one of the first Korean-American women elected to Congress, and the first African-American elected to represent the Pacific Northwest at the federal level.

Original source can be found here.