Legislation was passed by the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives with unanimous bipartisan support this week that will increase the pensions of Medal of Honor recipients by four times.
The bill easily passed 424-0. If approved by the Senate and signed into law by the president, it would raise the annual pension for Medal of Honor recipients from $16,880 to $67,500.
The bill’s supporters, including Reps. Troy Nehls (R-TX) and Chris Pappas (D-NH), argue that the increase would help ease the financial strain for recipients who often travel across the country for speaking engagements at their own expense.
Veterans’ Affairs funding will fund the increased pensions through disability compensation. To offset the cost of the pay increase, the bill extends the limitation on pensions for veterans without spouses or dependents from 2031 to 2033, Fox added.
The legislation would benefit the 60 living Medal of Honor recipients, with approximately 3,500 individuals having received the prestigious award since it was first established in 1863.
The pension program for Medal of Honor recipients was introduced in 1916, with the recipients initially receiving $10 per month from the federal government. Over the years, the stipend increased to $100 in 1961 and $1,000 in 2002. The bill is introduced at a time when the National Medal of Honor Museum is set to open in Arlington, Texas, next month. It is dedicated to sharing the stories of American heroes who displayed extraordinary bravery in battle, Fox noted.
President Donald Trump has yet to award the Medal of Honor in his second term, though veterans and members of Congress are advocating for him to award it to Maj. James Capers, a Black Vietnam War veteran. Capers is recognized for saving seven fellow Marines during an ambush by North Vietnamese troops in Phú Lộc in 1967.
According to sworn testimony from the surviving Marines, then-Lt. Capers and his unit were ambushed deep in the jungle, where devastating blasts from claymore mines inflicted severe injuries on him and his men. Despite suffering a shattered leg and a torn-open stomach, Capers, who was bleeding heavily, refused to surrender command, while Fox continued.
Alongside two fellow Marines, he held off the enemy long enough for a medevac flight to arrive, ensuring the survival of his wounded comrades, according to the sworn testimony.
As the overloaded aircraft struggled to take off, Capers tried to sacrifice himself, attempting to jump from the helicopter and insisting that he be left behind so his men could escape. However, the medevac crew chief pulled him back on board.
During the firefight, Capers sustained multiple gunshot wounds and 19 pieces of shrapnel. He still carries the physical scars of that day. Despite his own severe injuries, his selfless actions ensured that all of his Marines survived, Fox added.
House Speaker Mike Johnson made headlines this week when he pointed to several successful Republican policies that he says lowered inflation and grew the economy, particularly lower gas prices and strong growth.
During an interview on Fox News, Johnson spoke with co-hosts Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino about the success of Republican economic policies, Democrats’ calls to defund and abolish ICE, and false claims from Democrats about the Stop Insider Trading Act.
“What the President is referring to when he calls [affordability] a ‘hoax’ is the Democrats’ spin; it is Bidenomics that got us into this mess. It is Bidenomics, the outrageous spending levels that drove inflation to 40-year highs, that’s why prices are up now,” Johnson said when asked about Republican efforts to reverse the Democrats’ cost of living crisis.
“We got to work on it immediately in January when Republicans took over the Congress, the House, the Senate, and the White House, and we did exactly what we said we were going to do: bring down inflation, cut taxes and grow the economy. And that’s what all the indicators are saying. Now, inflation is going down, gas prices at a five-year low, the growth rate is over 5%. That would’ve been unimaginable, even conservative economists didn’t think that was possible,” he added.
Johnson continued, “But it is evidence that when our policies are implemented, they work. Trump policies, Republican policies, are doing right by the American people and they’re going to reward that at the ballot box in this upcoming midterm election in November.”
Johnson went on to slam Democrats’ calls to defund and abolish ICE.
