Troops Fret About Empty Stomachs as Covid Worsens Hardships (1)

The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated hunger among military families, adding to pressure on bipartisan lawmakers to grant them more federal nutrition assistance.

Democratic and Republican supporters on the Hill have pushed their colleagues for years to help hungry Americans in uniform, pointing to food insecurity as a risk to mission readiness, recruitment, and retention. In spite of the country’s $700 billion-plus defense budget, low-income troops and their families can get barred from some government food aid, relying on charities in times of hardship. The situation has only gotten worse with instability and job losses during the pandemic.

Canned food sits in a box at a San Diego Food Bank drive-through distribution center at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar, Calif., in April 2020.

Photographer: Bing Guan/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Food pantries operate ...