Honoring Our Heroes Act of 2025

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2721, the Honoring Our Heroes Act of 2025, as amended, offered by Representative Tim Kennedy, who is an outstanding member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Mr. Speaker, most Americans would be shocked to hear this, but servicemembers who passed away before 1990 are currently ineligible by law to request a government-issued headstone from the National Cemetery Administration.

In the haze of grief after a loved one passes away, families are often unaware of what benefits they may be eligible for. Oftentimes, they make short-term decisions they intend to revisit later but, for varying reasons, they do not.

Unfortunately, for the families of veterans, that sometimes means that they could have applied for a headstone for their loved one, only to find out years later they were arbitrarily cut off from accessing that benefit simply by the passage of time.

I think we can all agree that when a veteran passes away, they deserve the benefits they earned. That includes marking their place in history with a headstone or other marker that pays respect to their service. That should be true, regardless of when that veteran passes away.

Mr. Speaker, that is what the Honoring Our Heroes Act of 2025 seeks to do. It gives late veterans the burial rights they deserve, and it gives families a sense of pride and closure after their loss. We on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs are continually guided toward equity in the veteran population. When our constituents bring an issue to us that highlights inequity or injustice, it is our duty to correct it.

It is with this change in mind that my esteemed colleague Representative Kennedy took up the fight and spearheaded this effort on behalf of the families of veterans who, before November 1, 1990, by statute cannot request a headstone from the National Cemetery Administration.

I am thankful to Representative Kennedy for his dedication to veterans' families on an issue that has been overlooked for far too long. I am also thankful to the families who highlighted this issue and who testified in support of this legislation.

As we continue to strive for veterans, their families, and survivors to access their earned benefits and as we continue to push commonsense changes that allow more of these deserving people to get what they are owed, we must remember that from military separation through healthcare and in death, they matter.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Kennedy), my good friend and author of H.R. 2721. He currently serves on our Subcommitee on Economic Opportunity and our Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, once again, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 2721, the Honoring Our Heroes Act of 2025, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, we as a body have an obligation to honor our servicemembers for the sacrifices they have made for our country. This responsibility is always top of mind for me and my colleagues on the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

About a year ago, I discovered that military families in my district faced a painful reality. After their loved one's passing, they could not honor their service with a headstone issued by the VA. These are families who, often years or even decades after the death of a loved one, came to fully grasp the depth of that veteran's service and sacrifice to our Nation.

These include families like that of Technical Sergeant Florian J. Fenclau, a World War II veteran, a prisoner of war, a Purple Heart recipient, and proud member of the Greatest Generation.

Under current Federal law, the VA only provides a government-issued headstone for veterans who died after November 1, 1990. This wasn't always the case. That arbitrary date was put in place as a cost-saving measure to pass legislation that same year. It is just one more item cut on a spreadsheet to make the math work at the expense of our military families.

Our veterans deserve better than this. They are men and women who bravely answered the call to serve. As Members of Congress, we have a moral obligation to fully honor the heroes who fought for this country.

The families left behind are simply asking our government to properly recognize the bravery and dedication of their loved ones. These are Americans who were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect the freedoms we all hold dear. The quality of a veteran's memorial should not be based on when they die but, rather, every memorial must provide dignity, respect, and lasting recognition for all who wear the uniform.

That is why I introduced the Honoring Our Heroes Act. It ensures veterans who passed before 1990 receive the VA-issued headstone they earned and to guarantee that no veteran's memory is ever forgotten.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Bost and Ranking Member Takano for working with me in advancing this commonsense legislation. With their help, we are now that much closer to helping our military families correct the wrongs of the past.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2721) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish and carry out a pilot program to furnish a headstone or burial marker to veterans who died on or before November 1, 1990, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2721, as amended. This bill would establish a 7-year pilot program to allow eligible survivors or veteran representatives to request a VA-furnished headstone or marker for veterans buried in private cemeteries, who died during or after World War II.

Under current law, the National Cemetery Administration may only furnish a headstone or marker for graves of eligible veterans who died on or after November 1, 1990. If this veteran and their family have not already received an equivalent benefit, this bill would allow the veteran's family to honor their military service.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 2721, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers.

In closing, once again, I stand in strong support of this legislation, I encourage all Members to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I was absent from the floor and missed Roll Call No. 267 through 269. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 267, on ordering the previous question; NAY on Roll Call No. 268, on agreeing to the resolution H. Res. 707; and YEA on Roll Call No. 269, on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 2721.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 269.

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