Deployed to the Hill: Military Experience and Legislative Behavior in Congress

Military service is often touted as an important benefit for legislating in Congress. With fewer military veterans serving in Congress, candidates with military experience, along with their supporters, argue that electing more veterans could help reduce dysfunction and gridlock. They claim that military values, such as duty and teamwork, translate into differences in legislative behavior. But are veteran lawmakers more effective than those without military experience? Are they more bipartisan?

In this paper published in Political Research Quarterly and based on a CEL working paper, Major Joseph Amoroso, an Assistant Professor of American Politics at the United States Military Academy at West Point, draws on U.S. House data from the 104th to 116th Congresses (1995–2021) to examine the extent to which military experience influences a lawmaker’s ability to legislate and engage in bipartisan behavior. He finds that veteran lawmakers are more effective at advancing consequential legislation. Additionally, veterans appear more willing to collaborate with members of the opposite party, especially in recent Congresses. These effects are particularly evident among those who served on active duty. He concludes by considering the implications of these findings for maintaining healthy civil-military relations in America. These findings are closely related to another CEL working paper about the lawmaking effectiveness of military veterans in Congress who deployed post-9/11.

To learn more, read the full paper here.

Photo: “Married in the military: Couple shares experience of being married Soldiers deployed together [Image 1 of 3]” by DVIDSHUB is licensed under CC BY 2.0.