Recent News of VMF Interest for December 2025–January 2026


What’s VMF been up to lately?

Statement from the VMF Caucus: On the Supreme Court Decision in Bost v. Illinois Election Board 

Statement from the VMF Caucus: Getting Out The Vote In 2026 Is Our Best Hope For Halting The MAGA Agenda 

Statement from the VMF Caucus: A Quick Check-In Question with VMF Members

VMF Member Opinion: The Time for Democrats to Fight Tooth and Nail for Their Beliefs is Now 

VMF Member Opinion: Strategic Voting in 2026 

VMF Member Opinion: The Trump Administration Is Killing Independent Military Journalism 

VMF Member Opinion: I And Others Served In Uniform During WWII. Now Republicans in Congress Expect Us To Prove “Loyalty” As a U.S. Citizen? 

VMF Member Opinion: The Obscenity of Trumpism 

VMF Guest Opinion Piece: Black American Soldiers at Margraten: A Story Worth Remembering 

VMF Poem of the Month: “Invisible Veteran” by Guest Poet Lisa Carrington Firmin and Guest Artist Christina Helferich-Polosky 

VMF Artwork: “The A-10 Jet” by “Fritz”; Every Climb and Place” by Johnny Ramos; “The Journey to Phoenix” by M.B. Dallocchio; and ​The USS Constitution” Digital Art by “Fritz” 

New Podcast Episode: VMF Members on Their Experiences Being Abroad and Utilizing the VA 

VMF January 2026 Newsletter 

Recent News of VMF Interest for November-December 2025 

What’s been on Americans’ minds lately?

Op-Ed: Veterans Remember Past Conflicts 

Opinion: Alex Pretti Was a Good Man at a Time of Great Evil

Blog: The Veterans History Project Turns 25 

Opinion: Voting Rights at Risk: Trump's Midterm Tactics Threaten America's Core Freedoms 

Editorial: VA staffing cuts test a promise to vets

Op-Ed: They enlisted for duty, not politics 

Editorial: New report alleges VA service harmed by reckless staff cuts 

Opinion: What will it take for people to see who Trump really is? 

Op-Ed: State licensing boards should stop giving military families the run-around 

Blog: Six ways the Trump administration tried to erase MLK’s legacy in 2025 

Opinion: Supreme Court could protect the right to vote for military and overseas voters 

Editorial: Our petty, hollow, squalid ogre in chief 

Opinion: Why Congressional Republicans Always Chicken Out

Opinion: Leaders should support military families, not abuse power over them 

Op-Ed: Pentagon wants a ‘refocus,’ but Stripes hasn’t wavered from its true mission 

Op-Ed: Retired generals put on notice over Trump threat 

Blog Post: Ramsey’s War 

Blog Post: How and Why I Vote from Overseas 

Blog Post: My Experience Voting as a Military and Overseas Voter 

Editorial: Congress must intervene following shooting of ICU nurse

What else has been in the media lately?

Upcoming online event (2/11/2026): How to Avoid Double Taxation for Americans Abroad (discounted for veterans & military retirees) 

Dems Abroad Take Action Item: Demand Congress Stop ICE Abuses 

Dems Abroad Statement: The Rule of Law 

DA Statement on Defending U.S. Alliances 

Dems Abroad Recorded Virtual Event: The Blue Ballot Affair! 

Article: VA has shed 40,000 employees, Democratic report finds, with drastic impacts on veterans 

FVAP Video: Voting Assistance Officer Virtual Training Video Overseas Citizen 

Article: Democrats will spend millions to shift voter registration strategy ahead of the midterm elections 

DA Germany Veterans and Military Families Caucus – January 2026 Newsletter 

Past DA Event Recording: Voices for Renee: A Global Vigil for Dignity and Justice (to honor the life of Renee Good) 

Take Action Item: Tell Congress to Act on the Major Richard Star Act 

Press Release: Ranking member Takano and Veterans' Affairs Democrats Wrap Up 2025 

Article: VA Doctor Remembers Alex Pretti, 37-Year-Old Man Killed by ICE, as ‘Kind and Helpful’ ICU Nurse 

Video: Which is better, VA Health Care or TRICARE? 

Press Release: DNC Files Supreme Court Amicus Brief Opposing Republicans’ Attack on Mail-in and Early Voting 

Article: Abigail Spanberger becomes Virginia’s 1st female governor in historic inauguration 

Article: New Jerseyan Mike Embrich seeks DNC board seat 

Article: Trump: ‘I should have’ seized ballots in 2020 election 

Article: Veterans react to killing of VA nurse Alex Pretti by federal agent

Article: 2026 VA Disability Pay Schedule: When Will You Get Paid? 

Article: Hegseth moves to reduce Sen. Kelly’s military retirement pay over unlawful orders video 

Article: Supreme Court rules House Republican can challenge mail ballot deadline 

Article: Postmarks, interference, physical threats: Election officials brace for the 2026 elections 

Article: 'The violent death of one of our own': VA employees ask for more from their agency after nurse is fatally shot 

Article: Illinois county clerks alert public to postal changes that could delay mail-in ballots 

Article: 'Great fear' among US military members as Trump tries to politicize troops 

Article: House Armed Services Committee seeks answers on Pentagon plan for Stars and Stripes 

Article/Audio: This company charges disabled vets millions, even after VA said it's likely illegal 

Video: Board of Veterans Appeals Board Hearing Overview 

Article: Supreme Court Upholds Block to Trump’s Chicago Military Takeover 

Letter: Democratic Senators Urge DOJ's Inspector General For Epstein Files Audit 

Letter: Members of Congress Demand Reversal to Illegal Name Change of Kennedy Center 

Article: 2026 scholarships for military spouses, military kids 

Article: Here’s When VA Benefits Do and Don’t Count as Income, for Taxes and Otherwise 

Article: Mark Kelly sues Pentagon, Hegseth over bid to censure, lower senator’s retirement rank 

Article: To Shield Parents From Deportation, US Citizens Join 'PIP' 

Article: Hell Cats vs. Hegseth 

Article: Department of Veterans Affairs reinstates near-total ban on abortions 

Article: State Dept. 'not functioning' as staffers get sidelined for warning Trump is breaking law 

Article: Trump Appoints Beauty Salon Owner To Oversee Entrance To The US 

Article: 96-year-old Army, Air Force veteran appeals VA claim stymied by missing records 

Article: Disabled veterans push for legislation to keep retirement benefits 

Article: Citing 'dysfunction' and 'nastiness,' several military veterans opt not to run again for Congress 

Article: Office of Special Counsel resumes Hatch Act enforcement against former feds for violations during their service 

Article: Department of War rebrand could cost from $10 million to 'hundreds of millions,' CBO says 

Press Release: DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene: “The American people are with us — that’s why we’re going to win.” 

Article: Your safety, your comfort, your choice: Requesting chaperones at military hospitals and clinics 

Article: Trump ends National Guard deployment in 3 cities after Supreme Court loss 

Article: Retirement changes your TRICARE coverage: Learn what to do if you’re retiring in 2026 

Dissertation: A Phenomenological Study of Generation Z Student-Veterans for Re-Envisioning Postsecondary Supports and Services 

Article: Ex-CIA chief details Putin’s manipulation of 'incredibly naïve' Trump' 

Article: One Household, One Set of Benefits: How Military and VA Rules Affect Dual-Service Couples 

Article: VA plans to slash disability payments for sleep apnea and tinnitus 

Press Release: Ranking Member Takano is outraged by murder of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, beloved VA employee 

Article: Disabled Combat Veterans Feel Shortchanged, Push for Retirement Benefits 

Article: How the New USPS Postmark Changes Could Affect Mail Voting 

Article: IRS Direct File is gone. This is how you can still file taxes for free 

Article: Pentagon is embracing Musk’s Grok AI chatbot as it draws global outcry 

Article: Doubts abound about proposed dual citizenship ban 

Press Release: DNC Launches Largest-Ever Partisan Voter Registration Effort, Fights Back Against Republicans’ Attempt to Disenfranchise Voters 

Letter: Sens. Duckworth, Blumenthal demand investigation into Trump's misuse of VA resources to help execute his extreme deportation campaign 

Article: No. 2 US ICE official Madison Sheahan leaving agency to run for Congress 

Article: Pentagon clarifies Hegseth’s ‘putting hands on recruits’ statement 

Article: The Stories Behind Our Branches' Songs 

Article: Former military leaders sign legal document supporting Sen. Mark Kelly 

Letter: House Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Thompson Demands Hearing with Sec. Noem Over Minneapolis Murder 

Article: Bipartisan bill seeks to create joint DoD-VA credentialing system 

Article: Resources for military families getting ready to file 2025 taxes 

Article: The VA benefits most veterans don't learn about until it's too late 

Article: Inside the hidden Marine Corps recruiting crisis that's 'burning Marines' to fill the ranks 

Article: View and download your VA decision letters online 

Article: 'A Big F-A-I-L': CNN's Harry Enten Says Trump Made History In This Abysmal Way 

Article: Trump’s return-to-office mandate exempted feds with disabilities. Many are being ordered to work in-person anyway 

Article: VA readies massive contract for veterans’ private sector health care

Support Guide: MilTax Software available as of Jan. 15, 2026 

Article: Anti-ICE protester [permanently] blinded by federal agent during demonstration in Santa Ana, family says 

Article: The (Sketch) Artist at War 

Article: USPS Announces Changes to the Postmark Date System 

Article: New National Park Fee Is Causing Miles-Long Lines — and Driving Visitors Away, Staff Say 

Article: Mapping toxic exposure on US military bases. Hint: There's a lot. 

Article: Trump administration accused of ‘slow-walking’ help to Pacific island veterans 

Article: Visiting Normandy American Cemetery: Sign up for Updates on Anticipated Registration Changes 

Article: Sleep disorders in the military are complex, common, and treatable 

GAO Report: Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps: Additional Actions Needed to Improve Oversight and Prevent Instructor Sexual Misconduct 

Article: ICE Agents Ate at a Mexican Restaurant in a Small Town. After Their Meal, They Detained Employees 

Article: Where’s all that Golden Dome money going? Lawmakers want to know 

Article: Immigration officers assert sweeping power to enter homes without a judge’s warrant, memo says 

Article: Pete Hegseth’s Christian Nationalist Crusade to Remake the U.S. Military 

Article: Military Vets in Labor Are Joining the Fight Against Trump 

Article: Washington and Oregon Secure Legal Win to Protect Mail-In Voting Deadlines 

Blog: Can you spot a fake loan text scam? 

Article: US Army Brings AI Into Mental Health Care for Soldiers 

Article: 5 Scrapbooking Topics for Your Time Overseas 

Call for participants in research study: "Calling All Service Members and Veterans Are you an active duty service member or veteran age 18–64? If so, please consider helping TBICoE (Health.mil) researchers better understand how blast exposure affects brain health. A history of blast exposure is not required for study participation, and the total time commitment is about half an hour. To see if you’re eligible to participate, follow this link to a pre-screening." 

Fact Sheet: Managing Headaches Following Concussion/Mild Traumatic Brain Injury 


U.S. citizens living abroad, both civilian and military, are highly encouraged to check your voter registration status and request your ballot for any upcoming elections in your home voting state that you are eligible to vote in.

The Global VMF Caucus has a membership of over 1,400 members located in dozens of countries and proudly consists of veterans, military family members, Department of Defense civilians, other national security professionals, and strong allies of veterans and military family causes.

For questions pertaining to this statement, please reach out to

[email protected].