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A Promise Kept
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Dear Neighbor,
I want to take a moment to update you on an important step Congress has taken to protect and support families of our fallen service members. This week, the House passed the Department of Defense Appropriation Act, which included a provision, based on my Families of Fallen Servicemembers First Act, allowing the payment of military death gratuities to continue in the event of a government shutdown. I was proud to introduce this legislation, and am pleased it is now headed to the President’s desk.
The 16-day government shutdown in 2013 was unconscionable for countless reasons, not the least of which was the stress it put on the families of our fallen service members, who were denied death gratuity payments during their time of mourning. That is why I teamed up with my Republican colleague, Representative Tom Rooney, to right this colossal wrong.
I want to thank the military and veterans’ service organizations who supported our efforts and helped us secure this important reform. Groups like the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), Vietnam Veterans of America, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, and the Wounded Warrior Project were instrumental in this success we have achieved this week. As the Wounded Warrior Project said, “We are proud of this collaborative work to ensure this never happens again.”
No grieving family who has made the ultimate sacrifice should go without this small but very important measure of our country's gratitude and recognition of their loved one's ultimate sacrifice. This was the very least we could do, and I am grateful to my colleagues in both the House and Senate for voting to pass this critical measure.
Sincerely,
Gerald E. Connolly
Member of Congress
P.S., If you’d like to know more about this reform, and why it is so necessary, you can read what the Military Times had to say about the Families of Fallen Servicemembers First Act here. You can also find video of my remarks on the House Floor here.
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