A record number of women veterans will serve in Congress when the new class of lawmakers is sworn in this January, bringing military experience and a new set of priorities to Capitol Hill.
For the women veterans joining their ranks, this Veterans Day marks not only a milestone in representation, but an opportunity to influence how Washington approaches war, military readiness, Pentagon oversight and the treatment of those who serve.
According to the veterans advocacy group With Honor, at least 11 women veterans will serve in the 120th Congress, up from nine and the most in U.S. history.
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“It is indeed a history-making moment,” Rep.-elect Jessica Killin, D-Colorado, said about her election last week.
Killin, whose district will soon include the U.S. Air Force Academy, said one of her priorities will be reclaiming Congress’s authority over decisions to send U.S. forces into conflict.
She said Congress needs to “utilize and take back the power it has under the War Powers Act, and start putting a check on what is happening in Iran."
Pentagon oversight is also expected to be a focus for several of the newly elected Democratic women veterans, including scrutiny of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Rep.-elect Nancy Lacore of South Carolina, a former three-star admiral, was fired by Hegseth last year. Lacore has said publicly that she was never given a reason for her firing.
In Virginia, Rep.-elect Elaine Luria is raising concerns about the pace of military deployments and their effects on service members. Her district includes Virginia Beach, home to Naval Station Norfolk, the world's largest naval station.
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“We know from these repeat deployments in the last 18 months, our forces, especially our carrier strike groups, have been run into the ground,” Luria said.
Luria said she wants to examine the length of recent deployments and their impact on sailors’ mental health.
For Rep.-elect JoAnna Mendoza of Tucson, Arizona, improving conditions for women serving in the military is personal.
“Early on in my military career, I was sexually assaulted by my platoon sergeant,” Mendoza said in an advertisement during the campaign.
Mendoza told Scripps News Group that her experience serving in the Marines also shapes how she intends to approach the partisan divisions of Congress.
“You don’t ask Marines left or right of you, are you a Republican or are you a Democrat?” Mendoza said. “You say, 'Are you trained, do you have my back, and are you focused on the mission, and is everybody coming home?' That’s the same approach I’ll take when I’m in Congress.”
The historic gains for women veterans come as the overall share of veterans serving in Congress continues to decline. About 15% of the incoming Congress will have served in the military, compared with about 19% in the current Congress.
