Sailors and NASCAR crew use a crane to move a display car onto the flight deck of USS Carl Vinson onboard Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., as part of NASCAR San Diego Weekend, which will take place at Naval Base Coronado June 19-21, 2026. (Arianna Nieves/U.S. Navy)
WASHINGTON — A former military intelligence officer and first-term congresswoman has joined the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
Rep. Maggie Goodlander, a Democrat who has served New Hampshire’s 2nd District since 2025, was welcomed this week to the 26-member panel, which has oversight of the Department of Veterans Affairs and its delivery of benefits to millions of veterans, their dependents and survivors.
Goodlander, who also sits on the House Armed Service Committee, served for more than 10 years in the Navy Reserve. She is an attorney and former foreign policy adviser to the late Sen. John McCain, R.-Ariz.
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Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D.-N.H., a former naval intelligence officer, will serve on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. (United States House of Representatives)
Goodlander’s military background and veteran status will “help inform and advance legislation to better serve our community,” said Rep. Mark Takano, of California, the ranking Democrat on the committee.
“I believe deeply that Congress has a sacred obligation to those who wear the uniform and to the families who serve alongside them. I am honored to continue advancing that mission as a member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee,” Goodlander said.
Goodlander fills a vacancy left by Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Florida Democrat who resigned from Congress in April amid an ethics scandal.
NASCAR Cup Series driver Shane Van Gisbergen takes a selfie with a Navy service member at the Naval Base Coronado on June 9, 2026, in Coronado, Calif. (NASCAR Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
Construction workers install fencing to the top of concrete barriers for the NASCAR San Diego course at Naval Base Coronado on June 9, 2026, in Coronado, Calif. (NASCAR Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
Billed as the first NASCAR race ever to run through an active military installation, the inaugural “Race for the Base” will take place this weekend at Naval Base Coronado, off San Diego Bay, in California.
NASCAR, in partnership with the Navy, is sponsoring three days of racing along a custom-built street course, in what it said is a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for drivers and their fan base.
Naval Base Coronado is a sprawling complex that includes eight military facilities in southern California.
NASCAR built a 3.4-mile course that winds through the base for Race for the Base, which runs Friday through Sunday and features all three national racing series.
Those series are the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.
NASCAR has published the race schedule online.
To highlight the NASCAR-Navy partnership, “NASCAR San Diego paired each driver with a U.S. Navy command, creating a unique connection between motor sports and naval aviation,” NASCAR said.
Driver Ross Chastain, for example, is paired with Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadrons THREE and FIVE, which are under Navy Expeditionary Command and specialize in force protection, anti-terrorism and maritime security.
NASCAR also has started to preview plans to debut another military-themed race in November, titled the “Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic,” which will recognize service in all branches of the military.
House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Democrats will host a special roundtable on June 24 with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Common Defense and Veterans for All Voters, among other groups, to discuss the leadership role veterans can have in strengthening voter confidence in elections.
Titled “Continuing the Mission: Veteran Leadership in Civic Engagement,” the roundtable will examine ways that veterans can engage in nonpartisan activities that protect and support the electoral process, according to organizers.
Takano will lead the on-the-record conversation, which will take place from 10 a.m. to noon at the Cannon Office Building, in Washington.
Other organizations scheduled to participate include We the Veterans and Military Families, The Chamberlain Network, and Paralyzed Veterans of America.
Previous roundtables hosted by committee Democrats looked at solutions to veteran homelessness and addressed scams that target veterans and their benefits.
Historic U.S. battlefield sites and parks support more than 15,000 jobs and bring in more than $1.5 billion in annual visitor spending, according to a new report by the American Battlefield Trust.
The report, titled “Battlefields Mean Business,” documented more than 20 million annual visitors to battlefield sites across the nation and U.S. territories.
Historic battlesites preserved at national parks are a big draw for military members and veterans, according to the National Park Service, which partners and collaborates with the VA and Defense Department.
More than 100 national parks have “direct connections to American military history, including frontier forts and Cold War sites, battlefields and national cemeteries, memorials and patriotic shrines,” according to the National Park Service.
“These special places pay tribute to service members and veterans, and are reminders of their selfless service and sacrifice throughout the history of the nation and the values, ideals, and freedoms that the military protects at home and abroad,” the service said.
David Duncan, president of the American Battlefield Trust, said the new report underscores the value of battlefield parks as economic drivers and recreational destinations that support communities.
The report noted that rural and small-town battlefield sites often have a disproportionate impact on local economies that otherwise lack national attractions to draw large numbers of visitors.
The report also found that preserving and promoting battlefield sites also benefit regional economies, as tourists dine at area restaurants, stay at hotels and campgrounds, and patronize many types of businesses.
Ellen Gustafson, left, co-founder of We the Veterans and Military Families, leads a panel titled ‘Come Hell or High Water,’ at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, in Washington. Participants were Air Force veteran Clinton Jenkins, president of the Missouri Clerks Association; Air Force veteran Dana Lewis, Pinal County recorder in Arizona; and Army veteran Tim Benyo, an adviser with We the Veterans and Military Families. (We the Veterans and Military Families)
“Come Hell or High Water” — a discussion on how veterans can strengthen fair and secure elections — was among several democracy-themed forums hosted by a veteran’s organization to honor Flag Day.
We the Veterans and Military Families, a nonprofit, held Flag Day Convening, an annual conference, at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington that featured discussions on public service, civic engagement and the behind-the-scenes work of election officials.
Clinton Jenkins, an Air Force veteran and president of the Missouri Clerks Association, noted the role that former service members can play in helping to secure fair elections.
Jenkins said that nearly 70% of the election staff in Miller County, Mo., where he works as county clerk, is made up of veterans and military family members.
The June 10 conference brought together veterans from across the country “to explore what continued service looks like on the front lines of democracy,” organizers said.
“Vets and military family members know everyone in the community. It helps in so many situations,” Jenkins said.
The panel discussion titled “Come Hell or High Water” highlighted the support and resources necessary for communities to hold elections, even in the face of challenges.
Those challenges can include severe weather conditions, disinformation campaigns, and threats to election workers, panelists said.
