Congresswoman Susan Wild is a mother, attorney, public servant, and a dedicated member of the Greater Lehigh Valley community for more than 30 years.
The daughter of a journalist and a career Air Force officer, she was born at Wiesbaden Air Force Base in West Germany, and spent her childhood on Air Force bases across our country and around the world—an experience that shaped her lifelong commitment to the families that serve and sacrifice alongside our servicemembers. After years of moving around, she finally found a place to call home when she settled in the Lehigh Valley to start her family. Susan built a successful legal practice in the Valley while raising her two children, Clay and Addie, and later became the first woman to be appointed Allentown's City Solicitor. In November 2018, she made history again when she was elected as the first woman to represent Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Since taking office in 2018, I have cosponsored more than 60 pieces of legislation on issues affecting veterans, military families, and servicemembers. I am committed to expanding health care benefits for veterans, particularly those with disabilities or preexisting conditions, through my cosponsorship of several bills, including the Veteran Families Health Services Act, the Veterans Infertility Treatment Act, and the Health Care Fairness for Military Families Act.
Ensuring health, safety, and equity for female servicemembers is another top priority for me, and I am honored to be a founding member of the Servicewomen and Women Veterans Caucus and to serve as a member of the Women Veterans Task Force. During my first term in office, I introduced the Improving Legal Services for Female Veterans Act—a bill aimed at providing legal assistance to women veterans to help them access services to assist with eviction and foreclosure, child support, and child care. This legislation was signed into law in January 2021.
I am also a National Ambassador for the PREVENTS task force at the Department of Veterans Affairs. PREVENTS aims to prevent suicide among veterans and all Americans. The task force seeks to change the culture surrounding mental health and suicide prevention through enhanced community integration, prioritized research activities, and implementation strategies that emphasize improved overall health and well-being.
We owe an immeasurable debt to the generations of individuals who have put their lives on the line in our defense. I will continue working to make sure that essential services and programs are accessible for veterans, servicemembers, and military families.