The newly created Military Spouse Commission has opened an online form to allow those with vested interests in the commission to submit comments.
President Donald Trump created the commission on Monday via an executive order to support the lives and experiences of spouses of those enlisted in service. The commission will provide recommendations to address themes including housing, employment, health care and childcare.
There are more than 1 million military spouses in the U.S. They are affected by numerous issues including disproportionate levels of unemployment, according to Stars & Stripes. The publication reported that 20% of military spouses are unemployed, while the general U.S. unemployment rate is at around 4.2%.
The comment section allows users to submit comments of roughly 700 words.
“America cannot have the strongest military in the world without the love and devotion of our remarkable military spouses, who make the extraordinary sacrifices for our country. … Many military spouses spend months separated from their loved ones, while our heroes are deployed overseas,” Trump said when announcing the commission.
Jennifer Hegseth, the wife of defense secretary Pete Hegseth, will chair the commission. Other members include the spouses of service secretaries, the joint chief of staff, and the spouse of the Department of Homeland Security secretary.
“It’s the same from Kentucky to Singapore — it’s housing, it’s health care, it’s employment, it’s child care, it’s education,” Jennifer Hegseth said in the Oval Office when Trump signed the order.
Desiree Thompson Sayle, one of Trump’s deputy assistants, will serve as the commission’s executive director.
Past Presidential Initiatives to Help Military Spouses
Trump’s move follows initiatives from previous presidents to improve the lives of military spouses.
Former President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, tried to improve housing conditions by signing a law allowing private companies to manage military family housing. But it was met with criticism because Congress had a lack of oversight of these private companies.
Then, former President George W. Bush, a Republican, made the Pentagon’s Military Family Readiness Council. The Defense Department ordered a pause on all advisory committees last year, so it is currently on hiatus.
Bush’s successor, President Barack Obama, a Democrat, launched the Joining Forces Initiative to create public-private partnerships to improve spouse hiring. Democratic President Joe Biden continued this initiative.
The commission, pushed by the Trump administration, will meet monthly at the White House. DOD will fund it using the $9 billion allocated for military family quality-of-life initiatives and programs in the One Big Beautiful Bill, which Trump signed into law on July 4, 2025.
The Defense Department will also provide the commission with administrative and technical support. No spouses from junior enlisted ranks, which make up some 42% of the active-duty force, will be included in the membership.
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