Karen Pence, wife of Vice President Mike Pence, will be addressing military spouses at Lemoore Naval Air Station on Wednesday, the same day that her husband will be talking about trade at a Lemoore farm.
Karen Pence is scheduled to talk at 12:30 p.m. at the Lemoore base, home to the U.S. Navy’s West Coast-based squadrons of strike fighter jets including the F-35C Joint Strike Fighter. She will discuss employment opportunities for military spouses, a cause for which she launched an awareness campaign last year.
In its announcement of the visit, the Second Lady’s office said the Department of Defense estimated the unemployment rate at 24 percent for military spouses.
“Military spouse employment is a very important aspect of a strong and resilient military family,” Pence said in a written statement. “If spouses aren’t happy, then service members will leave the military sooner, and we don’t want that to happen.”
Pence’s visit to the Navy base coincides with the vice president’s visit to the Valley on Wednesday. He will be at a panel discussion on U.S-Mexico-Canada trade at the farm of Doug and Julie Freitas; he’s also going to be the featured speaker at a Republican Party fundraising luncheon at the Harris Ranch Inn and Restaurant in Coalinga.
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