Marc Veasey

01/08/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/08/2024 02:06

Rep. Veasey Introduces Legislation to Improve Military Recruitment at Senior Military Colleges

WASHINGTON - This week, Representative Veasey (TX-33) introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation alongside Representative Jackson (TX-13), Senator Raphael Warnock (GA), and Senator Ted Cruz (TX) to improve military recruitment at senior military colleges. This legislation will allow students to elect to have their information shared with senior military colleges, like Texas A&M, when applying to U.S. service academies. This will provide an opportunity for applicants who are denied admission to a service academy to be provided with an improved opportunity to attend a senior military college, thus helping address the military's ongoing recruitment issue. Veasey said: "The bipartisan Improving Military Recruitment at Senior Military Colleges Act will expand military service opportunities for our next generation of leaders. Our legislation will help qualified military recruits break through barriers by ensuring that they are aware of the full range of higher education pathways to the military, such as colleges with military programs like Texas A&M, rather than just the service academies."Jackson said:"Having spent nearly my entire career in the Navy, I am deeply concerned with our military's recruitment crisis and will do anything I can to address this issue, including encouraging young, patriotic Americans to begin their military training while working toward their degrees. As the only Aggie in Congress, I have seen firsthand the critical role that senior military colleges, like Texas A&M, play in preparing young men and women to join our great military. Students should have as many options as possible when voluntarily pursuing a life of service, and this legislation will help them do just that. I want to thank my colleagues for joining me in this important legislation, and I will continue fighting to strengthen and support our military so we are ready for any threat our nation may face." General Mark Welsh III, President of Texas A&M University said:"Except for the service academies, no school sends more officers into military service than Texas A&M. Aggies everywhere are very proud of that fact. Thanks to our great Texas congressional delegation, we will now be able to give even more talented young men and women the incredible privileges of being an Aggie AND wearing our nation's cloth."

The full bill text can be found here.