“I’m disgusted to hear that the Obama administration is refusing to make the military’s emergency payments to families of service members killed in action.

“The payments cover a family’s funeral costs and help them handle bills until ordinary survivor benefits begin. The Obama administration announced Monday that the Department of Defense “does not currently have the authority to pay” these emergency benefits.

“Much of the government is open. Our military is on duty. Common sense should tell the administration that providing emergency benefits to the families of men and women killed while defending the country is just as uninterruptible. It is certainly more urgent than the extra money the administration has spent to barricade monuments in Washington D.C. against visits by World War II veterans.

“Harry Reid should permit votes now on bills the House has passed to fund vital parts of government affected by the Obama administration’s shutdown. If there is any doubt about making these emergency payments to military survivors, the House will pass and the Senate should approve a bill to permit them.”

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