VP’s wife offers help to military spouses, the family’s ‘backbone’
WASHINGTON — Karen Pence, the vice president’s wife, has opened a campaign to help military spouses get the support and services they need.
Pence said one of the biggest frustrations some spouses have told her about is getting a new professional license in careers that require one every time they relocate, which can happen every few years for military families.
In a recent speech to a gathering of military spouses, she pointed out that they are now eligible to be reimbursed by the federal government for relicensing or recertification costs under a defense bill that President Donald Trump recently signed into law.
“Licensing is expensive,” she said in a speech at the Army’s Fort Carson in Colorado.
Pence also highlighted an executive order Trump signed this year to promote the hiring of military spouses by the U.S. government, and she named several private businesses that she said are working to help military spouses.
“In the Trump administration, we feel it is imperative we support our military spouses and children,” said Pence, whose son is in Marine flight school. “Spouses do so much and ask for so little.” She referred to them as the “backbone” of their families.
Pence noted that the challenges facing military spouses, including finding child care, can affect military readiness. Unhappy spouses can lead to unhappy service members, and they may eventually quit.
Her effort is reminiscent of Joining Forces, an initiative to promote military families led by Michelle Obama, the former first lady, and Jill Biden, the wife of former Vice President Joe Biden. Pence said that Joining Forces made a lot of progress by making states aware of licensing issues, prompting them to change the laws.
But a recent study by the University of Minnesota found that while state laws may have been updated, information provided by occupational boards is sometimes lacking.
It’s an area where Pence wants to apply her influence, though she is mindful that she has a couple of years left to try to make a difference.
Pence also highlighted another issue: helping kids cope with having a deployed parent.
She was handing out “comfort kits” to children that include an animated video, a guided journal and a teddy bear.