NORFOLK, Va. — Virginia U.S. Senator Mark Warner is hearing from some of our Hampton Roads neighbors about military issues that matter to them. Warner held a roundtable discussion at Old Dominion University Monday.
Childcare was a topic that was brought up multiple times, including by Natalie Spangler. Her husband is on the Norfolk-based USS Bainbridge, which was deployed with the Ford.
Watch: 'It's hard:' Military family in Hampton Roads discuss challenges of finding childcare
“I know there were options. I didn’t find out about them until the end of the deployment. So, I think that was my biggest issue and something that should definitely be addressed," Spangler explained.
Former Naval Station Norfolk commander, Capt. Janet Days, was a roundtable panelist and was among those who addressed the need for childcare. Retired, at the time of the roundtable she worked for the city of Suffolk. She talked about what was being done in the city and how Congress could help.
“We established a grant for in-home family day home care providers," Days said. "I think there’s a scenario where federal could potentially help in some manner for family day home care.”
Watch: Biden's executive order addresses childcare, unemployment for military spouses
"The fact that people are caring about those families and trying to come up with a solution really means a lot," said Spangler.
TRICARE and mental health were other topics discussed Monday. The roundtable was actually billed, though, as an opportunity for the senator to hear from families of sailors on the USS Gerald R. Ford.
After the roundtable, Warner talked with reporters about the fire on the Ford that reportedly left hundreds of sailors without beds during the deployment.
Watch: 'What a testament:' Hegseth meets sailors, families as USS Gerald R. Ford CSG returns to Norfolk
“I’m trying to get a full readout not just on the fire damage but also the level of the plumbing issues," Warner said. "There’s got to be lessons learned here.”
Warner indicated he would like to hold another roundtable in the near future.
Click here to see how we use AI at WTKR News 3.
