July 21st Calls to Action
Military families speaking up for our communities
As we continue to navigate a chaotic summer, it remains clear that the very freedoms our loved ones serve to protect are under attack.
These aren’t just policy fights happening in Washington. They’re decisions that affect our daily lives: how our kids learn, how we engage in civic life, and how our communities hold power accountable. Military families may be stationed around the world, but we are united by purpose and we must raise our voices together.
It’s natural to feel overwhelmed or unheard in this moment. But your voice does matter. And your action is power. So if you have five minutes this week, take a moment to send a letter, plan to meet with your members of Congress, or check out a banned book. You don’t have to save the world all by yourself, but your time and voice can help make changes, big and small.
Here are this week’s calls to action for military families:
Be Ready When Congress Comes Home on Recess
The House is set to break for recess starting on July 25, leaving fewer than 20 legislative days on the schedule for lawmakers to avoid a partial government shutdown at the end of September. The Senate is scheduled to follow starting on August 4.
What does this mean for military families? It’s time to show up in our districts! Find local town halls or constituent events in your district, and bring other military families and friends along. Use these days to ask your members of Congress to prioritize the issues that matter - democracy, immigration, housing, healthcare, childcare, and cost of living.
Mark your calendars. Coordinate with your friend group. And make your voice heard!
What can you do?
Make a plan to attend a town hall or constituent event while your member is in town, and bring your story.
Visit your Congressional members’ websites to see if they have any events scheduled. If you don’t see one, call or email their office to ask.
If they aren’t holding an event, you can ask for a meeting with the member or their staff in your local district.
Start a group chat with your milfam friends to coordinate attending together.
Think about your message: what matters most to you in these times?
Call For the Immediate Release of Billions in Education Funding
Right now, the Department of Education is holding back nearly $7 billion (yes, with a B) in K–12 funding. This is money that is already approved by Congress and relied on by public schools across the country. For many states, these funds support summer programs, school staffing, and planning for the upcoming year, all of which impact military-connected children who change schools frequently and rely on stable, well-funded schools to succeed.
But this year, the Department missed the July 1 deadline to release those funds and offered no explanation. As school districts scramble, military families are left in limbo. Without this funding, programs may be cut, staffing decisions delayed, and the school year start in chaos. For mobile families, the ripple effect can be devastating. And it could get worse: the White House Budget Office is threatening to claw this funding back altogether using a loophole maneuver called pocket rescission. If they succeed, the students lose out - permanently.
What can you do?
Send a letter to Congress with this easy tool from Red Wine and Blue to tell them that this delay in funding hurts military families and all families.
Share Your Story
Does your child’s school rely on Title I, IDEA, or other federal programs? Are you seeing cuts, delays, or program cancellations? Share your experience on social to help raise awareness and encourage others to take action as well (tag us and we will share!).
Join Operation: Uncensor My Summer to Push Back on Book Bans Across the Military Community
Second Lady Usha Vance wants you to read this summer. She’s launched a nationwide Summer Reading Challenge, encouraging families, including military families, to cozy up with books and build a love of learning.
We love books too. But there’s a problem with this challenge.
While the White House promotes reading with this challenge, military kids in Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools are being denied access to books that reflect diverse perspectives, important lived experiences, and critical social issues. Titles by authors that challenge the status quo are being banned or challenged on military bases across the globe. And it’s not just on base. These bans are happening in our communities around military bases too. All of this has a negative impact on military kids, who have a right protected by their parents in uniform to explore a wide range of resources as they grow into informed citizens..
What can you do?
This summer, don’t just join a reading challenge - challenge the system with Military Families for Free Expression as they flip the White House reading challenge on its head:
📚 Step 1: Pick a book that has been banned/challenged at DODEA schools or in military communities
📝 Step 2: Submit your reading log to Second Lady Vance's reading challenge by September 5th
📖 Step 3: Share your reading logs & what banned books mean to you!