The White House Military Spouse Commission considered a plan to reduce tolls paid by military families commuting to bases at its meeting on Monday.
The commission was established in August to address challenges faced by military spouses, and provide annual recommendations to the president to improve their quality of life.
Chairwoman Jennifer Hegseth, the wife of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, said Monday that the body wants to work with governors to reduce or eliminate tolls for troops commuting to bases.
She sees the 50% toll reduction now in place for troops travelling to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, as a template, saying that it amounts to $1,500 in yearly savings.
“And we just would love for that to be the pilot and be able to use that as a template across the country in different areas that need it,” she said.
“There are some different challenges with that because toll roads are operated differently in each state or even within a state by some private, some public. And of course we need the governor’s assistance too. But we are going to work diligently through both of those to try to get these done.”
According to Task & Purpose, which first reported on the commission’s plan, veterans in California now get up to 100% off on highway, bridge and fast-lane tolls if they were awarded a Purple Heart, Medal of Honor, or are designated as a Pearl Harbor survivor or disabled veteran by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
