A private foundation has stepped forward to cover death benefits for the families of troops who’ve been killed in combat after the Pentagon confirmed the payments have been suspended as a result of the partial government shutdown.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced Tuesday that the Maryland-based Fisher House Foundation has offered to cover the $100,000 payments that the government typically pays out to families within three days of a soldier’s death.
“I am so grateful that the Fisher House Foundation volunteered to help military families to make sure there is no funding gap during a time of unimaginable grief, ” Manchin said in a statement, adding that the organization has agreed to cover flights, hotels and other incidentals for family members.
The Pentagon says that as long as the budget impasse lasts, it will not be able to pay death benefits to the families of troops who’ve been killed in combat. The bodies of soldiers killed in Afghanistan since the budget deadlock began will arrive at Dover Air Force Base on Wednesday; Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel plans to attend. . .