President Biden taking steps to help military spouses get and keep jobs

WASHINGTON − President Joe Biden on Friday took steps to help military spouses overcome employment challenges, a significant reason military families give for considering leaving active duty service.

While visiting Fort Liberty in North Carolina, Biden signed an executive order directing federal agencies to take multiple actions to help spouses have stable careers despite frequent moves, time apart for training and needing to care for an injured service member or veteran.

“Their partners in uniform question how long they can serve their country when their spouse is unhappy or feels unfulfilled,” said first lady and military mom Jill Biden, who has made supporting military and veteran families a top initiative as it was when she was second lady in the Obama administration. “We can’t ask our servicemembers to choose between their love of country and their love of family.”

Military families move, on average, every 2.5 years, according to the Military Family Advisory Network.

The executive order aims to help the more than 16,000 military, veteran and surviving spouses working in the federal government while also serving as a model for the private sector.

"We’re calling on employers everywhere to do their part," Jill Biden said. “Recruit military spouses. Offer flexible work opportunities so that you can retain their talent, no matter where in the world they are working.”

There are 12.2 million spouses of veterans or those currently serving in the Armed Forces, according to the Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce.

What will Biden's executive order do?

The executive order directs nearly 20 actions aimed at enhancing career stability and expanding employment resources. Those include:

• Creating within 180 days a plan to improve the hiring and retention of military spouses working for the federal government.
• Increasing use of federal agencies’ authority to hire certain military spouses without using traditional competitive procedures.
• Making remote work options more accessible to spouses stationed overseas.
• Requiring the Defense Department to implement by the end of the year flexible spending accounts service members can use to help defray the cost of child care. (The creation of tax advantage accounts as a new benefit was announced in March.)  
• Encouraging federal employees to grant up to five days of administrative leave for a permanent change of station.
• Directing the Small Business Administration to develop resources for spouses needed to relocate a business.
• Continuing employment support for military spouses transitioning out of the military.

Where did Biden sign the executive order?

The president signed the executive order at Fort Liberty, one of the largest military bases in the U.S. It has the biggest military spouse population among all military installations, according to the White House.  

“This support is so important to allow families like mine to thrive while our loved ones are serving in uniform,” military spouse and federal employee Tiffany Zoeller said before introducing the president for the signing ceremony at the base's fitness center.

Called Fort Bragg until earlier this month, the base was renamed so it no longer honors a Confederate leader.

Before going to Fort Liberty, the Bidens visited Rocky Mount, N.C., to talk about workforce training programs. That’s part of the president’s emphasis on his “investing in America” agenda that will be central to his re-election campaign – as is North Carolina.

Why does the executive order matter?

About one in five military spouses don’t have a job, an unemployment rate that hasn’t significantly changed over the past decade, according to the White House.

Also, nearly one in five military families cite spouse employment challenges as a reason for considering leaving the military, according to the military support group Blue Star Families.

And when they do leave, veteran families, caregivers and survivors continue to have employment challenges for years.

“The ripple effects of service do not end,” Jill Biden said, “when uniforms are put away.”