Congressman Kim Gets Answers on Joint Base Access,
Child Care for Service Members at Hearing

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03) asked senior Department of Defense officials about issues he’s hearing from New Jersey veterans and military families at a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee which provided an update on the Department of Defense’s role in America’s national response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Congressman Kim’s first question reflected a question from a veteran on last night’s telephone town hall who has had difficulty accessing Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst to utilize the commissary and other services. He went on to ask what the Department of Defense can do to improve childcare for service members and military families dealing with a COVID-19 related deployment.

Video of the Congressman’s full remarks and questions can be found here.

The hearing included testimony from Robert Salesses, Performing the Duties of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense & Global Security, Office of the Secretary of Defense; Major General Jeff Taliaferro, USAF, Vice Director for Operations, Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Major General Steven S. Nordhaus, USAF, Director of Operations, National Guard Bureau.

Congressman Kim has been a staunch advocate for military families and service members since entering office in 2019. During his first term in office, Congressman Kim fought to secure two pay raises for military service members, passed a bipartisan bill into law to make job training efforts more accessible to military spouses, and passed a bill into law that would ensure that dangerous PFAS chemicals which endanger military communities are no longer used by the Department of Defense.

Congressman Kim represents New Jersey’s Third Congressional District, which includes Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and its surrounding communities. The Congressman is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Committee on Small Business. More information about Congressman Kim can be found on his website by clicking here.

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