Congress Is Debating the Details. Our Military Families Are Living the Consequences.

Congress is considering legislation that would directly affect some of the families living with the most profound and permanent consequences of military service.

In this op-ed published in Stars and Stripes, Gold Star widow Sharri Briley and Edgar “Ed” Edmundson, father of severely wounded Iraq War veteran Eric Edmundson, urge Congress to pass the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act of 2025.

Though their journeys are different, the reality they describe is shared by many military and veteran families: the cost of service does not end when the ceremony or headlines fade. It continues through decades of care, financial strain, lost earning capacity, and long-term family responsibility.

This legislation would help modernize benefits for the most catastrophically wounded and ill veterans and take an important step toward strengthening support for surviving spouses.

For families like Sharri’s and Ed’s, this policy is not abstract. It is about stability and dignity, and matching our nation’s gratitude with action.

Read the full op-ed here.