U.S. Senators Ted Cruz from Texas and Jacky Rosen from Nevada have introduced the SkillBridge Congressional Fellowship Act of 2025. The proposed legislation aims to facilitate servicemembers transitioning out of active duty by allowing them to engage in congressional fellowships through the Department of Defense’s SkillBridge program. This initiative seeks to provide these individuals with opportunities to explore careers in public service and policy.
Senator Cruz stated, “Each year, thousands of servicemembers leave active duty with a desire to continue serving their country outside of military service. Meanwhile Congress would benefit greatly from individuals with firsthand military and operational experience. This bill provides opportunities for those servicemembers to evaluate a legislative career path, and more broadly what a career in politics or policy would entail, while allowing them to serve in Congress. I urge my colleagues to pass this legislation swiftly.”
Senator Rosen added, “Our service members sacrifice so much to keep us safe, and it’s our duty to do everything possible to help them transition back to civilian life. I’m proud to help introduce this bipartisan bill to expand opportunities for service members to continue in public service after their military career by making it easier to take part in congressional fellowships. I’ll always support our nation’s service members and veterans.”
In addition, Representative John McGuire from Virginia has introduced companion legislation in the House.
The bill outlines several provisions: granting eligibility for servicemembers within member offices, leadership offices, and committees; limiting participation to one fellow per office; requiring approval from both the servicemember’s chain of command and the congressional host; standardizing onboarding covering ethics, Hill procedures, and the legislative process; mandating formal notification procedures to DoD legislative affairs; and allowing for a maximum fellowship duration of 180 days.
