I will never stop fighting to make sure Gold Star families have the support they deserve
Never stop fighting to ensure Gold Star families have the support they deserve.
Occurrences
Evidence
Smith's weekly report recognized Gold Star families and restated that he would keep fighting for their support after Memorial Day.
The Clerk recorded H.R. 6047 as passed, 235-179, and listed Smith (MO), Republican, Missouri, voting Yea.
The reported bill would direct VA to increase certain disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation; the DIC increase begins December 1, 2026.
The committee one-pager says surviving spouses like Sharri Briley would directly benefit and that DIC would rise for over 500,000 survivors.
The official calendar lists H.R. 6047 as reported, placed on the Union Calendar, and passed by the House on May 21, 2026.
The Clerk recorded H.R. 8469, the FY2027 Military Construction-VA appropriations bill, as passed 400-15; Smith (MO) voted Yea.
The Appropriations Committee said H.R. 8469 fully funds veteran health care and benefits and supports military family housing, childcare, and quality-of-life needs.
The House Clerk's roll call shows Jason Smith voted for H.R. 6047, the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act, a direct action in support of expanding survivor benefits relevant to Gold Star families.
Smith publicly reaffirmed support for Gold Star families on the House website, but the statement itself does not show a new policy delivery or enacted benefit change.
The official House calendar still showed H.R. 6047's latest action as House passage; it did not show enactment or another completing step as of the May 29 calendar.
Assessments
Smith took concrete same-term action on Gold Star-family-related support by voting for H.R. 6047, a veterans benefits expansion bill that would raise dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and other survivors. But as of May 29, 2026, the official House calendar still showed only House passage, with no enactment or other completing step. That supports partial credit for materially advancing the promise, not full delivery of the promised support outcome.
Smith took same-term action consistent with the promise by publicly reaffirming support for Gold Star families and voting for H.R. 6047, a directly relevant survivor-benefit expansion bill, as well as broader VA funding. However, the Gold Star/survivor benefit expansion had only passed the House and was not shown as enacted as of June 4, 2026, so the promised support was not fully delivered.