“USA TODAY” By Marla Bautista a military fellow columnist for USA TODAY Opinion (Submitted Photo)
“Providing student loan forgiveness would be a tangible way to acknowledge and support military families and to recognize our contributions and the unique challenges we face.”
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“Being a military spouse is a cost burden and a hindrance to my career opportunities.
As a military spouse, the weight of student loan debt compounds the challenges I face in supporting my family and pursuing my own career aspirations. While I wholeheartedly support my partner’s service to our country, I deserve support, too.
The Biden administration has canceled more than $165 billion in student loan debt for about 5 million Americans in recent years. It’s a welcome policy position that creates equitable opportunities for diverse communities, helping to increase their financial security and promote generational wealth.
In keeping with this idea, let’s forgive the student loan debt held by members of the military and their spouses.
Constant relocation hinders career progression
A defining aspect of being a military spouse is frequent relocation. My family moves to a new duty station every few years, often across state lines or overseas.
While this lifestyle has its own rewards, like travel, it also presents significant barriers to my professional development. Each move disrupts my career trajectory, forcing me to abandon job opportunities, professional networks and even licensure.
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As a result, I find myself repeatedly starting from scratch, struggling to rebuild my career with each move.
The financial strain of student loan debt exacerbates that challenge, as it limits my ability to invest in my family and my future and escape financial insecurity.
A transient lifestyle creates a financial burden
Moving around the world is a daunting task for military families. With each move comes the cost of packing, shipping, traveling, temporary lodging and unforeseen expenses.
My family has spent at least $3,000 out of pocket each time we’ve moved. That money is not reimbursed by the military, and the cost of purchases made on credit then carry over until we do it all over again in two to three years.
Balancing the fluctuating cost of housing, utilities and other living expenses strains our finances and leaves little room to tackle additional debts like student loans. While some financial assistance programs exist for military families, they often fall short of addressing the full scope of our financial needs.
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Student loan forgiveness would provide much-needed relief, allowing us to allocate more resources toward supporting our families and investing in our future stability.
Military spouses make countless sacrifices in service to our country, often without the recognition or support we deserve. We endure long separations from our partners, manage household responsibilities single-handedly during deployments and shoulder the emotional toll of frequent moves and uncertain futures.
Like many other active-duty military spouses, I have spent thousands of hours using my professional skills as a volunteer within the military community − building and maintaining support programs aimed at military family wellness and readiness. I have taught other military spouses to do the same.
Yet, we can’t thrive with only one spouse working as most military families live within communities where costs exceed their incomes. So spouses are finding ways to contribute financially, such as taking on low-paying jobs, gig work and the dreaded multilevel marketing schemes.
Providing student loan forgiveness would be a tangible way to acknowledge and support military families and to recognize our contributions and the unique challenges we face. It would alleviate financial stress and help us to pursue our professional and personal goals, ultimately strengthening the resilience of our military community as a whole.
As a military spouse, the burden of student loan debt adds an unnecessary layer of difficulty to an already challenging lifestyle. Forgiving this debt would ease our financial strain and honor the sacrifices we make in service to our country.
It’s time for policymakers to recognize the value of military spouses and provide the support we need and deserve.”
MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Marla Bautista is the author of My Thoughts Abandoned and co-author of Brave Women, Strong Faith. She is also a TEDx speaker. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Maryland University College and is a current graduate student, at Syracuse University. Her passion is helping people in need. She does so as the founder of the Bautista Project Inc, a nonprofit organization providing for unhoused community members in Tampa, FL.