When someone with a Green Card lives outside of the USA with their American spouse, by law they are supposed to give up their green card (many don’t, but some chumps like me who follow the law as written do so).
Those of us who have had Green Cards in the past should not have to start over from scratch when returning with our spouse to live in the USA again. Other countries let spouses maintain their permanent resident status as long as they are living with their spouse while abroad. We have already been thoroughly vetted as good immigrants.
I suggest letting spousal green card holders keep their Green Card while living abroad with their American spouse (in my case, we returned to my country of origin for a few years due to my job). For those of us who have already lost it due to following the current rules as written after leaving the country for work with our American spouse, please streamline and speed up the process to regain it. We want to return to the USA, and have already been waiting over a year for just the first step to be approved.