Democrats believe that our troops should be taken care of when we send them into battle and that they should be given our respect when we bring them home. And we know that the spouses of those we send into battle make sacrifices too. But Republicans are refusing to keep their promise and provide veterans, military retirees, and their spouses with the retirement benefits they earned serving our country. 

Survivor benefit penalty hurts military widows.  The Survivor Benefit Penalty penalizes aging survivors, mostly widows, of the veterans of our county. Over one million military retirees pay premiums for years and anticipate that upon their death, their spouse will receive 55 percent of their benefit. But when their spouse reaches 62, the benefit drops to a mere 35 percent – forcing these widows to give up more than one-third of their retirement benefit when they are eligible for Social Security benefits. This reduction takes place even if the surviving spouse isn't eligible for Social Security.

Democrats Make Progress.  Because of action by veterans' organizations and pressure by  House Democrats, months of Republican opposition to ending the Widows' Tax seem to have ended, and soon hundreds of thousands of families of military retirees may be able to receive the benefits they have earned.  Democrats are determined to ensure that this provision now is passed by the Senate, and enacted into law.