Fresh off his special election victory, Rep. Matt Van Epps (R-TN) is making his first move in Congress count – introducing legislation to boost the "death gratuity" for Gold Star families for the first time in 20 years.
The HONOR Gold Star Families Act represents Van Epps' inaugural piece of legislation, and it couldn't be more fitting. While career politicians have spent decades ignoring the families of our fallen heroes, this Tennessee conservative is stepping up to the plate on day one.
Think about that for a moment, patriots. Twenty years. Two full decades have passed since Congress last saw fit to increase the death benefits for families who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Meanwhile, these same lawmakers have voted themselves pay raises and blown trillions on foreign aid and green energy boondoggles.
A Freshman With His Priorities Straight
Van Epps' decision to make Gold Star families his first legislative priority sends a clear message about what real conservative leadership looks like. Instead of grandstanding or chasing media attention, he's focused on honoring those who gave everything for America.
The bipartisan nature of this bill shows that supporting our military families shouldn't be a partisan issue – though it's telling that it took a Trump-supporting conservative to actually take action after years of Washington inaction.
"Our Gold Star families have sacrificed everything for our freedom, and they deserve better than to be forgotten by the swamp," Van Epps could have said, perfectly capturing the sentiment driving this crucial legislation.
This is exactly the kind of America First leadership President Trump promised when he campaigned on putting our military and veterans first. Now we're seeing that vision carried out by fresh conservative voices like Van Epps who understand their duty to the American people.
While the establishment spent decades paying lip service to our military families, it's taking outsiders and Trump allies to actually deliver results. The question is: will the rest of Congress finally step up and honor our heroes, or will they continue to prioritize everything except the Americans who serve?