How Many Vets Will Be in Congress After the Election?
As reported December 31 by Leo Shane III for Military Times, Congress hasn’t had at least 100 members of the House and Senate with military backgrounds since 2017. But the veterans caucus in the legislature right now is close enough to challenge that mark in the 2024 elections. The number of veterans in Congress has steadily declined since the 1970s, a shift which mostly reflects the change to the all-volunteer force and the dwindling number of Americans who enlist annually. But veterans advocates have worried that decline has also taken away valuable insight for lawmakers as they craft national security policy, veterans support plans, and defense budget proposals. In 1973, the total number of veterans serving in House and Senate seats was 401 — 75 percent of all the seats in both chambers.
