New military spouse commission touts policy changes in inaugural meeting

After requesting feedback, the Military Spouse Commission says it has already influenced policies concerning medical appointments and child care access. President Donald Trump, senior Defense Department leaders and members of the President’s Military Spouse Commission pose for a photo at the White House on Aug. 3, 2026. (The White House) A presidential commission for military spouses held its first meeting Monday and announced policy changes it has already influenced concerning medical appointments and child care access. Jennifer Hegseth, wife of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, chairs the commission and said that even though many of the problems the commission plans to address are longstanding, “many of those solutions will be new.” “Some already exist and have gotten stuck in the bureaucracy — and we’ll find those, too,” she said.

Established Aug. 3, the Military Spouse Commission is made up of the spouses of service secretaries, members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and each service’s senior enlisted leader. The spouse of the homeland security secretary is also included because the Coast Guard falls within that department. Soon after its establishment, the commission requested feedback and received thousands of messages. Roughly 40% of the feedback identified challenges with education and access to child care. Most of the remaining feedback was split between deployment support services, housing and health care. “Behind every number