Jill Biden Announces a New Agreement that Will Help Military Spouses Maintain Their Careers
Jill Biden Announces a New Agreement that Will Help Military Spouses Maintain Their Careers
Plus, Melania Trump expected to headline a Republican event Saturday at Mar-a-Lago.
First Lady Dr. Jill Biden is the wife of an elected government employee, the president, so she understands what it is like to have to pick up and move for a spouse’s job. As part of her Joining Forces initiative to support military families and veterans, Biden said on Wednesday in a White House ceremony that allowing military spouses to continue in their federal jobs from overseas “isn’t just a moral obligation, it’s a national security imperative.”
From the East Room, the first lady was joined by Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks and Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma, who signed a permanent memorandum of agreement between their departments to ease approvals of remote work under the Domestic Employees Teleworking Overseas programs. This agreement will help military spouses who are Federal employees maintain their careers and keep their families together when their service members are stationed overseas, according to the White House.
In June, President Biden signed an Executive Order addressing the barriers that military spouses face when trying to find work—by making it easier for the federal government to hire them, encouraging federal employers to give spouses time off when they have to move, and reducing child care costs for military families, the first lady said.
“A critical part of the Executive Order is allowing military spouses who work for the federal government to take those jobs with them,” she said. “With today’s agreement, we’re making that a reality.”
Biden went on to share a story of relocated military spouses, who when asked, said they miss her work, but couldn’t take it with them when they moved overseas. They applied to other jobs, but with no luck and said they feel like their degrees and experience are going to waste. After months of trying to find a job, they’re ready to take anything—because there are bills to pay.
Biden noted the agreement is “common-sense” and long overdue.
Through her Joining Forces initiative, Biden has worked to eliminate barriers to employment and increase economic opportunity for military families. Military spouses find themselves facing a 21% unemployment rate, a rate that has not significantly changed over the past decade, according to the White House.
More than 16,000 military, veteran, and surviving spouses work for federal departments and agencies.
Since President Biden signed the executive order last June, the first lady’s Joining Forces initiative, together with the National Security Council staff and federal departments and agencies, have implemented nearly 20 new actions aimed at enhancing career stability, expanding employment resources, and improving transition assistance support for military-connected spouses.
“Child care, jobs with private employers, being able to start your own business, or transfer your professional license to different states—we won’t stop until these are solved,” the first lady said.
Key actions to date include advertising more jobs with military spouse hiring authority; launching a fast-track action committee to identify ways agencies to expand federal datasets to track outcomes for military and veteran spouses; releasing the Government-wide Military-connected Strategic Plan, the first whole-of-government hiring and retention strategy focused on leveraging the talent of military and veteran spouses, military caregivers, and survivors; publishing a guide for recruiting and hiring military spouses; and establishing tax-free dependent care spending accounts for service members; reducing child care costs for military families with the Department of Defense reducing amounts lower-earning service members pay out of pocket for child care.
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April 16, 2024 — First Lady Dr. Jill Biden will be the guest speaker at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation’s Annual First Ladies Luncheon on April 26, marking the first time a sitting first lady has joined the event as a keynote speaker, the foundation announced Tuesday.
Biden has championed numerous efforts, including the first-ever White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research to fundamentally change how our country approaches and funds research on women’s health.
Annual event will be hosted by the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, in partnership with the First Ladies Association for Research & Education FLARE), and American University’s School of Public Affairs.
Gleaves Whitney, executive director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, described the event as “an exciting time” for the Ford Presidential Foundation and our partners the First Ladies Association for Research and Education and American University’s School of Public Affairs.
“Our three organizations are dedicated to expanding knowledge of the first ladies, who form a remarkable and unified club in American history,” says Gleaves Whitney, executive director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation. “Their experiences and insights have enriched our nation immeasurably. We are so proud to host First Lady Jill Biden as we highlight another remarkable first lady, our own Betty Ford.”
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Biden is continuing the tradition of first ladies who have honored the leadership and contributions of First Lady Betty Ford. Previous first ladies to attend the annual luncheon have included Rosalynn Carter, Barbara Bush, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Laura Bush, according to the foundation. Seating is limited. Registration is open until April 19.
New Installment of The Military Children’s Corner Unveiled by First Lady
April 16, 2024 — In honor of the Month of the Military Child, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden announced Tuesday a new installment of The Military Children’s Corner, an art display at the White House dedicated to the nation’s military children. Titled A View from My Window, Dr. Biden’s second installation features artwork created by 10 military children that depicts their unique experiences serving alongside their parent or family member in uniform.
“Through every new deployment, neighborhood, and school, military children serve alongside their parents. In the artwork we feature in The Military Children’s Corner, we see a glimpse of the world through their eyes,” said Biden. “This Month of the Military Child—and every month—may we recognize their service and sacrifice, and continue giving military children the recognition, support, and opportunities they deserve.”
Unveiled in September 2023, The Military Children’s Corner is part of Dr. Biden’s Joining Forces initiative to support military and veteran families, caregivers, and survivors. This is a continuation of Biden’s tradition of leveraging art as an educational tool to help Americans learn about the experiences of the four million military-connected children whose parents are active-duty service members, National Guard or reservists, or veterans. A View from my Window was created in partnership with the National Military Family Association (NMFA) and Bloom, a program of NMFA dedicated to elevating the voices of military teens.
The Military Children’s Corner features artwork from the following military children:
Addison, age 14, Joint Base Charleston – Summerville, SC
Ayslin, age 15, White Sands Missile Range – Farmington, NM
Elisabeth, age 16, Fort Leavenworth – Leavenworth, KS
Elyse, age 13, Army Garrison Wiesbaden – Wiesbaden, Germany
Evelyn, age 17, United Nations Command Korea – Seoul, South Korea
Gabriella, age 17, U.S. Army – Flower Mound, TX
Hannah, age 16, Naval Base Kitsap – Silverdale, WA
Lara, age 15, Pentagon – Arlington, VA
Sammi, age 13, Pentagon – Arlington, VA
Scarlett, age 12, Fort Knox – Fort Knox, KY
The Military Children’s Corner is located in the East Colonnade and is among the first displays visitors see when they enter the East Wing of the White House.
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