Washington watch

We maintain the strongest military in the world. Our freedoms, liberty and the greatness of this country are secured by brave men and women who serve.

We must honor the sacrifices they make when they lay down their lives for our country. It is unacceptable that surviving military spouses are still subject to the Widow’s Tax after their loved ones die in service. The time to repeal this unjust law is now.

The Widow’s Tax is a reduction of Department of Defense annuity payments to surviving spouses as part of a Veteran’s Affairs benefit. The Dependency and Indemnity Compensation program is specifically meant to prove respect for families when a service member dies from injuries or disease sustained in the line of duty.

The Survivor Benefit Plan is insurance that families buy with monthly premiums.

Under law, surviving spouses face an unfair dollar-for-dollar reduction of payments based on the amount of Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. This wipes out most, if not all, of the benefits and affects over 62,000 widows and widowers.

It is heart-wrenching to hear the stories of those who lost their spouses and then found reductions in their insurance plans which they have been paying into for years.

That’s why I first introduced a bill to repeal the Widow’s Tax in 2011. We have been working for years with veterans groups to repeal this unfair tax.

Unfortunately, the House majority denied this bipartisan bill a chance of a floor vote.

Repeal of the Widow’s Tax will cost $570 million a year but we have a way to pay for it. Unfortunately, inaction and partisan tactics resulted in a rejection of attempts to find an alternative method to for it. This is not how our surviving spouses who lost loved ones in service deserve to be treated.

Rep. Joe Wilson of Springdale is a member of the House Armed Services Committee.