WASHINGTON, D.C., – Congresswoman Elaine Luria (VA-02), a former U.S. Navy Commander, secured a seat on the House Armed Services Committee.
She plans to bring an experienced Hampton Roads military voice and perspective to national security issues.
Elaine Luria, District 2, VA House
“As a 20-year Navy veteran, I am honored to serve on the House Armed Services Committee. These are difficult times in a dangerous world, and our brave service members in Virginia’s Second Congressional District and across America deserve our strongest support,” Congresswoman Luria said. “Our warfighters need proper equipment, training, and funding so they can succeed in their missions to defend America. I will work every day to make sure our nation lives up to its values, and that our most courageous Americans are treated with dignity and respect.”
Congresswoman Luria is a proud graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. Of all members in the House Democratic Caucus, she served the longest on active duty, having completed 20 years of active military service with the U.S. Navy.
A veteran of deployments supporting Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, she served at sea on six ships as a nuclear-trained Surface Warfare Officer and culminated her 20-year Navy career by commanding a combat-ready unit of 400 sailors.
Congresswoman Luria was one of the first women in the Navy’s nuclear power program and among the first women to serve the entirety of her career on combatant ships.
Congresswoman Luria’s committee assignment comes on the heels of her January 3 swearing-in. She has since voted to reopen government, co-introduced bipartisan legislation to ban offshore drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf, and cosponsored a bipartisan bill that would pay the Coast Guard – the only service branch currently operating without funding – during the government shutdown.
The House Armed Services Committee retains jurisdiction over defense policy, military personnel, military operations, and counterterrorism efforts. Virginia’s Second Congressional District includes eight major military installations representing all branches of the Armed Forces.
Virginia’s Second Congressional District is home to the world’s largest naval base, one quarter of the nation’s critical shipbuilding and repair facilities, and NASA installations, which are integrally tied to defense. The Hampton Roads area is home to 142,000 residents who are active-duty military or employed by the Department of Defense.
