On the recordOctober 29, 2019
I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for bringing this measure forward and giving us an opportunity to do something so important for these families. I am sure many of you, as you watch the television, see the different organizations that have evolved over the past several years to provide assistance to those families. One particular organization provides assistance in paying off the mortgages for these families. I bring that up just as an illustration to the aspects of what these Gold Star families go through at the loss of their loved one. Sometimes it is the primary income earner from the family because, quite often, the spouse is at home taking care of the children and, all of a sudden, they are the primary breadwinner, their loved one is gone. They are left with these bills. They are left with, a lot of times, situations beyond just the grief of what they are feeling at the loss of their family member, they have to deal with these unbearable situations. Providing them with an opportunity for the spouse or their children to find employment in something that they feel is also meaningful, because many of them have such a patriotic heart, they want to continue to serve.…
