In the News

Today, Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) released the following statement regarding the inclusion of his bipartisan bill, the Families of Fallen Servicemembers First Act, in the 2019 Department of Defense Appropriations Act. The Families of Fallen Servicemembers First Act, originally introduced by Connolly and Rep. Tom Rooney (R-FL), ensures the immediate payment of military death benefits to survivors of fallen servicemembers during federal government shutdowns or any other circumstance when federal spending authority lapses.

“I was proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation, and I am pleased that the Appropriations Committee has included it in the Department of Defense Appropriations Act. It is shameful that Congress would allow the government to shut down and allow grieving military families to go without this small and partial measure of our gratitude for their loved one’s service. We must ensure that it never happens again. I thank the Chairman and Ranking Member for caring for our military families, and for being responsive to the more than 200 members who have cosponsored the Families of Fallen Servicemembers First Act and the two dozen veterans organizations who have endorsed the bill.”

Congressman Connolly’s full remarks on the House floor can be found here.