Information provided by the Office of Jimmy Panetta.

On Memorial Day, we honor the brave men and women of the United States Armed Services who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Our recognition should entail a tribute not only to those who served but also to the families of our servicemembers. The spouses, children, and next of kin of fallen servicemembers and veterans must receive the benefits that they earned through their service to their families and our country.

The Gold Star Family Tax Relief Act ensures that Gold Star spouses and children receive their earned benefits and are not egregiously taxed. I cosponsored and voted for this legislation that passed the U.S. House of Representatives this week. I also cosponsored the SFC Brian Woods Gold Star and Military Survivors Act to improve childcare, pension, and other benefits for families of fallen servicemembers. As the Co-Chair of the For Country Caucus, I am proud that our group of ten Democrats and ten Republicans endorsed these pieces of bipartisan legislation.

I also co-authored and introduced the Honoring Veterans’ Families Act. This bipartisan legislation, which just unanimously passed the House, would allow the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to include an inscription about the spouse or dependent children of a veteran on a VA-issued tombstone. Military families provide tremendous support to their loved ones, both during their service and afterwards, home and abroad, and we ought to properly honor their contributions.

As a Congressional Co-Chair of the nonpartisan U.S.-Russia Joint Commission on Prisoners of War and Missing in Action (POW/MIAs), I work closely with my counterparts to continue our search and recovery efforts of missing service members. It is also important to highlight the tremendous effort and dedication that the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, along with other U.S. and foreign specialists, do to honor our missing servicemembers, including their work to research, investigate, recover, and identify remains of Americans unaccounted for from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Cold War. This important agency provides administrative and analytic support to our efforts in achieving maximum accounting of our missing personnel to their families and the nation.

The For Country Caucus is also working on legislation that benefits our active duty military. I introduced the bipartisan Better Military Housing Act to improve oversight and enhance the health, safety, and quality of privatized military housing.

As your Member of Congress, I am dedicated to providing meaningful support to the families of fallen servicemembers, veterans, current servicemembers, and military families. If you or a veteran you know needs help with Veterans Affairs benefits, searching for military records, or even help obtaining earned medals, please contact my office by calling (831) 424-2229.

On Memorial Day, and every day, we must remember the men and women of our armed forces who served and sacrificed everything for our freedom.

 

 

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