During my time in Congress, I have, and remain, strongly committed to our military and those who serve and have served our country.
Providing for the common defense is one of the federal government's constitutional responsibilities, and I take this responsibility very seriously. As such, Congress must ensure that our troops have the resources and state of the art equipment they need to complete their missions and return home safely.
In May, the House debated and ultimately passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (NDAA). The NDAA is the key legislation that provides the necessary authorities and funding for our nation's military. It authorizes government defense programs, establishes funding levels for such activities, and sets policies under the manner in which federal funding may be spent.
One provision in the NDAA that is of particular importance to Missouri is funding for 12 additional F-18s, which can be converted to E/A-18G Growlers, which is the only electronic warfare airplane for the U.S. Navy. Additionally, it restores funding for the A-10 Warthog which is used by the U.S. Air Force to provide close air support for ground troops in combat situations. I have been a staunch supporter of maintaining money for these vital programs and have provided written testimony to the House Armed Services Committee indicating the importance of the F-18 line to our service members and the people of Missouri.
While I am pleased that a bipartisan majority of House members passed the NDAA and sent it to the Senate, there are still many other pieces of common-sense legislation that would benefit our military personnel, their families, and our veterans that I would like to see enacted into law.
One of these bills that I am proud to cosponsor is the Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act. This legislation would eliminate the so-called "widow's tax" which forces surviving spouses of military members to forfeit some or all Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) payments if benefits are also being received from the Department of Veterans Affairs Dependency and Indemnity Compensation program. The SBP program allows a career military retiree to pay a premium to fund a benefit for the retiree's surviving spouse.
The DIC is a separate program through the VA that provides benefits to surviving spouses of those whose deaths are determined to have been caused by military service. Some Americans fall into both categories and the misguided offset policy penalizes them for it. Under current law, for every dollar a surviving spouse receives from the VA DIC program, a dollar from the Survivor Benefit Plan must be forfeited. For years, this has been an ongoing issue and it must be fixed. This legislation would rightfully give members of the military peace of mind that their loved ones would be taken care of, should anything happen.
There are many issues facing the 3rd District and our nation, but I will always remain attentive to the well-being of our fighting forces, our veterans, and the military families who have given so much to support their loved ones and our nation.
U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., represents the state's 3rd District, which includes Jefferson City. His local office can be reached at 573-635-7232.
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