As an advocate, I have to work with both sides of the aisle.
Veterans, service members, their families, caregivers, and survivors need people willing to have those conversations. The issues affecting our community continue regardless of which party wins an election, chairs a committee, or controls the legislative calendar.
Neither party owns these issues. Neither party gets a permanent exemption from questions about how it handles them.
My responsibility is to the people affected by the decisions being made.
That means being willing to walk into offices with different letters beside the names on the doors.
Our Community Has More Than One Political Opinion
The military community includes people with a wide range of political beliefs, backgrounds, and priorities.
We do not all vote alike. We do not agree on every policy. We can disagree strongly about the proper role of government, federal spending, national security, and any number of other subjects.
We can also find common ground on whether a veteran should receive an accurate benefits decision, whether a caregiver can get a clear answer, or whether a surviving family can understand the assistance available to them.
Those questions deserve attention without requiring everyone involved to pass a political compatibility test.
The people who served came from across the country. So did the families who moved with them, the caregivers who stepped in, and the survivors who continue living with the consequences of that service.
Their needs deserve consideration across party lines.
A Meeting Is Not a Blanket Endorsement
One of the more exhausting habits in public discussion is treating every interaction with an elected official as a declaration of total political loyalty.
Meet with someone, and apparently you now own their entire voting record.
Thank them for supporting a bill, and someone wants to know whether you agree with something else they said six months ago.
Ask an official from the other party for help, and suddenly there are questions about whose side you are on.
I am on the side of getting the issue addressed.
Working with an elected official means I believe there is a conversation worth having or a responsibility worth bringing to their attention. It does not require agreement on every subject.
I can appreciate someone’s support for one proposal and challenge their position on another. I can thank an office for helping a family and return later with difficult questions about a policy.
That is a normal working relationship in advocacy.
A handshake should not require adopting someone’s entire platform. My calendar is already full.
Progress Requires People Who Will Work Together
A proposal can sound excellent in a speech and still go nowhere.
Moving it forward requires people willing to examine the details, ask questions, negotiate language, build support, and keep working after the press release has been issued.
Bipartisan support can help that work survive changes in leadership and make it harder for an issue to be dismissed as someone else’s political project.
And passing legislation is only part of the job.
The rules, policies, guidance, and administrative decisions that follow help determine what people actually experience when they apply for a benefit or ask for assistance.
Does the application make sense?
Are the eligibility requirements clear?
Can someone correct an error?
Is there a meaningful way to challenge a decision?
Do the people answering the phones have the information they need?
An announcement may get the attention. Implementation is where a family finds out whether the promise works.
Advocacy has to continue through both.
Bipartisan Work Still Requires Standards
Working across the aisle does not mean agreeing to whatever is offered.
I still need to read the proposal, understand who it helps, identify who might be left out, and ask how it will work.
A sympathetic title does not answer those questions. Neither does a photograph with veterans standing behind a podium.
I want to know what the language does.
If a proposal offers a modest improvement, we should be honest about its size. If it creates a new barrier while addressing an existing one, that deserves scrutiny. If an office says an issue is a priority, it is reasonable to ask what action will follow.
Those standards should remain consistent regardless of who sponsors the proposal.
Support deserves acknowledgment. Problems deserve examination. Promises deserve follow-up.
The party affiliation of the person making them does not change that.
Families Live With the Results
For me, these conversations are personal.
I am a military surviving spouse. My husband, Sgt. Jeremy “Jay” Seals, died while serving on active duty after living with Stage 4 stomach cancer.
I know that the consequences of military service can continue long after the uniform is put away and long after the funeral.
I also know that a family trying to navigate those consequences needs more than expressions of sympathy.
They need accurate information, workable policies, timely decisions, and people willing to take responsibility when something goes wrong.
Through advocacy, I hear about the practical effects of decisions that may look straightforward on paper. A definition can determine who qualifies. An unanswered question can delay an application. An error can create months of additional work for someone who is already overwhelmed.
That is what I carry into these conversations.
The person waiting for help may have voted differently from me. The official able to help may have voted differently from both of us.
We still have work to do.
The Same Expectations Apply After Every Election
An election can change who holds an office. It does not eliminate the responsibilities attached to it.
I will introduce myself to new officials. I will explain the issues again when necessary. I will build relationships with staff, bring supporting information, and follow up.
I will also continue working with the people who remain.
Some conversations will be productive. Some will be frustrating. Some will require more patience than I had planned to use that day.
That comes with the work.
What I cannot do is make access to my advocacy depend on whether someone belongs to my preferred political team. That would narrow the opportunities to help the very people I am asking officials to serve.
The Work Continues
I will work with Republicans, Democrats, independents, and anyone else willing to give these issues serious attention.
I will thank people when they help. I will ask questions when something is unclear. I will push back when a proposal falls short and keep returning to issues that remain unresolved.
Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors deserve that persistence.
They deserve advocates who can enter different rooms, hold a consistent position, and keep the conversation focused on what needs to happen next.
Working across the aisle is part of my job.
So is holding people accountable once I get there.
