Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), Co-Chair of the Congressional Military Family Caucus, was joined by fellow Co-Chair Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05), officials from the Department of Defense and Fort Benning, representatives from military service organizations, staff from five Congressional offices, and over 200 military family and service members at the annual Congressional Military Family Caucus Summit at the National Infantry Museum near Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia.
 
“As Co-Chair of the Congressional Military Family Caucus and a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, I take seriously my obligation to military families and veterans in Georgia and nationwide,” said Congressman Bishop. “It is our responsibility to listen, learn, and ensure military family voices are heard on Capitol Hill. Spousal employment, state licensure, healthcare and caregiving, and military child education provide unique challenges for military families, and as legislators, we must see to it that the policies we craft ease the burden for those families that support our national defense.”
 
“Supporting our military families is a top priority of mine because the strength of our military is drawn from the strength of our military families," said Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers. "This summit and caucus allow us to pay special attention to the unique and diverse issues that military families face, hear their stories, and work to find solutions. I'm so thankful to Congressman Sanford D. Bishop for being a partner in this effort and for hosting this year’s summit at Fort Benning. As a team, we can continue to look for solutions to strengthen our military families and make their lives a little easier.”
 
“We have made great strides in addressing the challenges facing military families since the founding the Congressional Military Family Caucus in 2009,” continued Congressman Bishop. “However, there always remains room for improvement. The Military Family Summit continues to provide military families a seat at the table and helps Congress and the Executive Branch uncover and address emerging concerns in a swift and productive manner.”
 
The Military Family Summit brought together military families with Members of Congress and their staff, officials from the Department of Defense, and personnel from numerous military family support organizations to discuss pressing issues impacting America’s service members and their families. The summit included discussions exploring the challenges service members and military families face surrounding spouse employment and child education, compensation and retirement, and military family healthcare and childcare.
 
The CMFC is a bipartisan congressional caucus that educates elected officials, congressional staffers, senior military leaders, and the public on a wide range of unique issues that affect military families. Currently, over 80 Democrats and Republicans are members of the CMFC.