{"id":12879,"date":"2020-12-28T17:17:50","date_gmt":"2020-12-28T17:17:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/12\/28\/veterans-in-the-117th-congress-by-the-numbers\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T05:13:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T05:13:03","slug":"veterans-in-the-117th-congress-by-the-numbers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2020\/12\/28\/veterans-in-the-117th-congress-by-the-numbers\/","title":{"rendered":"Veterans in the 117th Congress, by the numbers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When elected officials gather on Capitol Hill to formally convene the 117th Congress<\/a> on Jan. 3, they\u2019ll do so with 91 veterans among their ranks, the lowest total since at least World War II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The number of veterans in Congress has declined almost steadily<\/a> since the mid-1970s, as the military shifted from an end strength of largely drafted individuals to an all-volunteer force. In 1973, nearly three in every four members of Congress had some type of military service. In 2021, it\u2019ll be about one in every six members who have military experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s the lowest since at least the start of World War II. Information on congressional members with veteran experience before then is incomplete, making comparisons difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the number could grow in coming years. Of the 79 lawmakers elected to the 117th Congress who are aged 45 or younger, 21 (about 27 percent) served in the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\t