The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, chaired by Mike Bost (R-Ill.), has advanced five bills for consideration by the full House of Representatives. Among them is H.R. 6047, the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act, a measure that aims to increase monthly compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs for veterans with severe service-connected disabilities and for families of servicemembers who were killed in action or are 100% disabled.
The bill targets two tax-free benefits that have not seen significant increases in decades. These benefits support both veterans living with life-altering injuries and families who have lost loved ones due to military service. Of the 11 Democrats on the committee, all but one voted against advancing the proposal.
Chairman Bost criticized the opposition, stating: “It is a stark stain on the good work done by this Committee, and to me as a veteran, that Ranking Member Takano and a majority of the Democrat members of the VA Committee voted against reporting out Rep. Barrett’s bill today.” He added, “This bill seeks to do one thing – good – for the men and women who have served this great country and live with lifechanging injuries as a result of their service, as well as the American families who were left behind by those who gave their lives in defense of freedom. In December of last year, Sgt. Edmundson’s father and Sharri Briley – the surviving spouse of American hero Donovan Briley – testified before our committee with tears in their eyes – explaining the impact this benefits increase would have on them and the hundreds of thousands of American families like them, not as payout, but to make ends meet.”
Bost continued: “I hope our Democratic colleagues who voted no will take a moment to reflect on why they serve on the VA Committee, and put politics aside, and vote for this good bill when House Republicans bring it to the House Floor for a vote. Should my Democratic colleagues fail to find that reminder of why they serve on this Committee on their own, I would humbly encourage them to drive fifteen minutes over the bridge to the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery to bring to mind the families this bill seeks to support.”
H.R. 6047 is named after Sharri Briley—the widow of CWO3 Donovan Lee ‘Bull’ Briley, an Army Special Operations Blackhawk helicopter pilot killed during Operation Gothic Serpent (Black Hawk Down) in Somalia in 1993—and Sergeant Eric Edmundson, an Army veteran severely injured by an IED in Iraq in 2005. The bill recognizes both individuals’ experiences: Sharri Briley’s loss and Eric Edmundson’s ongoing recovery from an anoxic brain injury that left him unable to speak or walk.
Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Mich.), lead sponsor of H.R. 6047, stated: “Increasing benefits for our disabled veterans and Gold Star families is long overdue. This bill is a major step towards making good on our commitment to the veterans who sacrificed so much defending our nation. I’m proud of our committee coming together to pass this legislation to increase critical financial support for catastrophically injured veterans like Sgt. Eric Edmundson and survivors like Sharri Briley. Now it’s time to get this across the finish line and signed into law for our nation’s heroes.”
Alongside H.R. 6047, four other bills were also reported out by the committee:
– H.R. 3726 – Fisher House Availability Act of 2025 (Rep. Miller-Meeks)
– H.R. 785 – Representing our Seniors at VA Act of 2025 (Rep. Kiggans)
– H.R. 3482 – Veterans Community Care Scheduling Improvement Act (Rep. Barrett)
– H.R. 2148 – Veteran Caregiver Reeducation, Reemployment, and Retirement Act (Rep. Morelle)
A coalition of more than twenty veteran service organizations supports H.R. 6047.
