“I have pledged to our Armed Forces to have their backs, and that means providing for our military spouses as well.”
— President Donald J. Trump
On May 9, 2018, President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order to help Military Spouses obtain opportunities for employment with the U.S. Federal Government. The order sets out directives for the use of noncompetitive hiring; OPM’s need to educate Federal agencies on noncompetitive hiring and to increase awareness of opportunities for Military Spouses; requires agencies to report their progress on this initiative; and more.
The statement on the WhiteHouse.gov website also notes that “there are nearly 690,000 spouses of active duty service members, 12 percent of whom are also active duty military.” The underemployment rate of this demographic has averaged 20-25% over the past 10 years — and “22 percent of military spouses cited one of their greatest challenges” to be “their inability to transfer professional licenses from one state to another.”
The First Family also had a message for Military Families:
“As a mother myself, I know what goes into raising a child,” First Lady Melania Trump told a group of Military mothers and spouses gathered at the White House this week. “Mother’s Day, which is this Sunday, is celebrated just one time per year. . . . But I think mothers should be celebrated each and every day.”
You can watch C-SPAN’s full coverage here, including remarks made by President Trump and first lady Melania Trump.
