Ellmers Fights for Military Benefits Being Denied During Shutdown

Video: Ellmers Fights for Military Benefits Being Denied During Shutdown

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Renee Ellmers (R-NC-02) released the following transcript from her speech on the House floor this morning: Military Families Deserve Benefits During Time of Grief

“There is a great injustice being done to our service members and their families. We learned last night that five brave American service members were killed over the weekend in Afghanistan while selflessly protecting our country. Normally the loved ones of these fallen warriors receive assistance in the form of benefits to help them as they make final arrangements for burial and other necessary preparations. Yet as a direct result of the political gridlock here in Washington – and despite legislation passed in the House last week – service members and their families are no longer receiving their benefits. Despite the government shut down, our service members are still expected to go to war and we should be expected to keep our promise to these grieving families. I am working as we speak to right this wrong and I urge all of my colleagues to do the same.”

This morning, The Today Show reported on the benefits being denied to military families:

“The families of five U.S. service members who were killed over the weekend in Afghanistan have been notified that they won’t be receiving the $100,000 benefit normally wired to relatives within 36 hours of the death. The “death gratuity” is intended to help cover funeral costs and help with immediate living expenses until survivor benefits typically begin. The money also helps cover costs to fly families to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to witness the return of their loved ones in flag-draped coffins.”

Click here to watch Congresswoman Ellmers’ floor speech from this morning.

Click here to read last week’s article in the Fayetteville Observer on Congresswoman Ellmers’ fight to get Fort Bragg employees paid and working during the shutdown.

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The proof is in the pudding… And as often as Obama repeats his Alinsky-style mantra… that it is Congress, it is the House, it is Republicans who are at fault and will not negotiate… it won’t make it so.

President Obama’s Unpresidential and Untruthful Speech/Presser on the Shutdown earlier today, only made him look small and petty!! He even admitted that His Whole Tactic Was About Turning Up the Heat on Republicans and making them look bad… Thankfully that just might be backfiring!

Speaker Boehner says there will be negotiations and they (the GOP) are willing to negotiate! They have said and demonstrated that all along. (Here are some negotiating suggestions for Boehner.)

The House already passed a separate Bill to Pay Our Troops on Time that would have covered survivor benefits, that Harry Reid and Obama Declined. Yet Now the Administration says that Military Death Benefits Are on Hold… and they again are falsely pointing at the opposition… Mr. President, “What Happened to the Buck Stops Here?”

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I am a babyboomer and empty nester who savors every moment of my past and believes that it is the responsibility of each of us in my generation and Americans in general to make sure that America is as good or even a better place for future generations as it was for us. So far... we haven't done very well!! Favorite Quotes: "The first 50 years are to build and acquire; the second 50 are to leave your legacy"; "Do something that scares you every day!"; "The journey in between what you once were and who you are becoming is where the dance of life really takes place". At age 62 I find myself fighting inoperable uterine Cancer and thanks to the man upstairs and the prayers from so many people including many of my readers from AskMarion and JustOneMorePet... I'm beating it. After losing our business because of the economy and factors related to the re-election of President Obama in 2012 followed by 16-mos of job hunting, my architect-trained husband is working as a trucker and has only been home approximately 5-days a month since I was diagnosed, which has made everything more difficult and often lonely... plus funds are tight. Our family medical deductible is 12K per year for two of us; thank you ObamaCare. But thanks to donations from so many of you, we are making ends meet as I go through treatment while taking care of my father-in-law who is suffering from late stage Alzheimer's and my mother-in-law who suffers from RA and onset dementia as well as hearing loss, for which there are no caretaker funds, as I continue the fight here online to inform and help restore our amazing country. And finally I need to thank a core group of family, friends, and readers... all at a distance, who check in with me regularly. Plus, I must thank my furkids who have not left my side through this fight. You can see them at JustOneMorePet.

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