WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS), joined a bipartisan group of 13 of her Senate colleagues, led by U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), in a letter to Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Ashish Vazirani. In the letter, the senators urged the acting under secretary to encourage collaboration among the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and the U.S. Departments of Education (Education) and Labor (DOL) to better recognize military service and enlistment as rewarding and successful career options.
“We feel that our schools must have insight into post-high school outcomes for all students, including those who enter the military,” the senators wrote. “An educator’s ability to accurately communicate the benefits of all available career paths, including military enlistment, is essential when preparing students for college and other future careers. As senators committed to supporting our military and educations systems, we emphasize the importance of their request and encourage the DOD to prioritize engaging with our states on this matter.”