SRES-313-116
Resolution agreed to in Senate without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (text: CR 9/17/2019 S5542)
Sponsored by Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS)
What it does
This resolution designates the week of September 22 through September 28, 2019, as "Gold Star Families Remembrance Week." It formally recognizes the sacrifices made by members of the U.S. Armed Forces who died in military service and by their families. The resolution carries no legal mandates, creates no programs, and appropriates no funds.
Who benefits
Gold Star families — the surviving spouses, children, parents, and siblings of U.S. service members who died while on active duty — receive formal congressional recognition of their loss. Veterans' service organizations and advocacy groups that represent these families also gain a nationally designated platform for public awareness during the designated week.
Who is hurt
No specific group is directly or materially harmed by this resolution. It imposes no costs, restrictions, or obligations on any individual, organization, or government entity.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that formally designating a remembrance week provides meaningful, official acknowledgment of the profound sacrifices borne by Gold Star families — people who have lost a loved one in military service. They contend that congressional recognition costs nothing, unifies the country around a shared value of honoring those who served, and raises public awareness of the ongoing needs and grief of these families. Supporters also note that symbolic resolutions can prompt community events, media coverage, and local commemorations that provide comfort to bereaved families and keep the memory of fallen service members alive in the national consciousness.
Opponents argue
Opponents might argue that a non-binding, symbolic resolution with no accompanying funding, policy change, or enforceable commitment does little of practical value for Gold Star families, who may face concrete unmet needs such as mental health services, financial support, or survivor benefits. They could contend that congressional floor time and resources are better spent on substantive legislation that directly addresses those needs, and that passing symbolic resolutions without follow-up action risks reducing meaningful recognition to a performative gesture that does not translate into tangible improvements in the lives of the families being honored.