119th Congress will include a triple-digit number of military vets — for a few days

SALT LAKE CITY — One hundred military veterans will be counted among the 535 lawmakers making up the 119th United States Congress, which convenes Friday.

Sixteen veterans are included in Congress's freshman class — joining 84 incumbents who have served in the military.

They will belong to the largest caucus of military veterans serving in Congress in eight years.

But the 119th Congress will only boast triple-digit military veteran numbers for a few weeks. Later this month, Ohio senator JD Vance — a former Marine — will vacate his U.S. Capitol office when he becomes vice president.

Meanwhile, Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, who served in the Army's special forces, will soon be serving as President-elect Donald Trump's national security adviser.

No one from Utah's six-member congressional delegation has served in the military.

Bumps in the number of veterans in Congress is noteworthy because an increase in members with military backgrounds has only happened four times in the last half-century.

Given their backgrounds, veterans serving in the House and Senate are often seen as critical to discussions of military operations and veterans benefits. But the number of veterans in Congress has declined almost steadily since the mid-1970s, as the U.S. military shifted from largely drafted individuals to an all-volunteer force, according to Navy Times.

In the years prior to 1973 when the U.S. military draft ended, only 1 in every 4 members of Congress had never served in the military. This year, about 1 in every 6 members will be veterans.

A glance of the incoming "veteran" congressional class, according to Navy Times.

• Nine female veterans will serve in Congress in 2025, the largest total in history.
• The group includes 28 Democrats and 72 Republicans.
• Congress will have 46 Army veterans, 25 Navy veterans, 16 Air Force veterans and 13 Marine Corps veterans.
• About one-third (31) began their military careers after January 2000. Twenty-one started before 1980.
• Twenty veterans will serve in the Senate, and 80 will serve in the House.
• Texas has the largest caucus of members with military experience (11), followed by Florida (9) and California (7).

For Country Caucus: Bipartisanship among vets

While partisanship defines much of Congress, military veterans serving on both sides of the aisle are pulling from their shared experiences in uniform to forge unity.

Formed in 2019, the For Country Caucus includes both Republicans and Democrats serving in the U.S. House.

"We're trying to lead by example, both within Congress to show our colleagues that this is possible, but also to America more broadly," Colorado Democrat Jason Crow, who is one of the outgoing co-chairs of the caucus, told the Associated Press.

Crow is a former Army Ranger officer. Fellow caucus member Steve Womack of Arkansas is a Republican and a retired colonel in the Army National Guard.

Womack said that bringing military veterans together who share the "warrior ethos" and a commitment to putting country and mission first marks a starting point "to maybe advance some agendas that would be good for the country."

The For Country Caucus is proving to be more than a symbolic entity.

Since forming, the group has been integral in getting more than 100 bills passed into law.

The legislation includes such areas as national security, strengthening the military, veterans' issues, national service and supporting military families — especially those that have lost loved ones, the Associated Press reported.

Additionally, the caucus was instrumental in getting an increase — the first in two decades — in payments designed to help military families bear the added financial costs of deployments.

The caucus also pushed a provision to allow federal agencies to appoint military spouses to remote work positions, an action that could allow them to keep their jobs despite multiple moves, according to the Associated Press.

One of the group's first successes was the effort to establish the Global War on Terrorism Memorial on the National Mall. Its design is underway.

"We are a small but mighty caucus that punches way above its weight," Crow said.

Two members of the For Country Caucus are retiring, while the 28 others were reelected. The caucus expects to pick up at least five new members in the 119th Congress, meaning nearly 8% of the House will be part of the caucus, the Associated Press reported.

Vets among Utah's historical Congressional ranks

While none of the Beehive State's current members of Congress have served in the military, several of their predecessors from recent decades were armed forces veterans.

• U.S. Rep. Jim Hansen (who served in Congress from 1981-2003) served in the Navy in the 1950s.
• U.S. Rep. Allan Howe (1975-1977) served in the U.S. Coast Guard.
• U.S. Rep. David Marriott (1977-1985) was a member of the Utah Air National Guard.
• U.S. Rep. Howard Nielson (1983-1991) served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II.
• U.S. Sen. Frank Moss (1971-1977) was an Army lawyer during World War II.
• U.S. Sen Bob Bennett (1993-2011) served as a chaplain in the Utah Army National Guard.
• U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart (2013-2023) was an Air Force aviator.
• U.S. Sen. Jake Garn (1974-1993) served in the U.S. Navy and Utah Air National Guard and was promoted to brigadier general after flying aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1985 as a payload specialist.

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