This is an update to this previous outline.   The House has voted to resume payments to the families of fallen soldiers.  However, the funding was never stopped in the first place.  The emergency death benefit was included in the original “Pay Our Military Act”; and it was affirmed as such by Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA) Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. 
Someone, within the administration,  interpreted used the opportunity to cut off the death benefit to prove a political point.   Now, in essence, congress voting specifically to fund something they had previously funded.  Why?  To save “someone’s” face.   Grrrr.
WASHINGTON DC – The House voted unanimously on Wednesday to restore the financial payments the Department of Defense makes to the families of fallen U.S. soldiers.
Members easily passed the bill after the Pentagon said it can no longer make the payments because of the government shutdown. The Honoring the Families of Fallen Soldiers Act, H.J.Res. 91, was approved in a 425-0 vote.
The bipartisan bill was quickly developed and rushed to the floor this week after the Pentagon said it could no longer make “death gratuity” payments to families after October 1 because of the government shutdown.
That announcement prompted immediate anger from members of both parties, although the parties split on the cause of the problem.
The House vote came on the same day that the Obama administration said it would try to fix the problem administratively. White House Spokesman Jay Carney said Obama was “very disturbed” that payments have been halted, and said a fix should be in place by today.
It’s unclear whether that will be enough to stop the Senate from voting on the bill, given the anger on both sides in the last few days.  (continue reading)