SRES-664-116
Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S4650; text: CR S4637)
Sponsored by Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS)
What it does
This resolution designates the week of September 20 through September 26, 2020, as "Gold Star Families Remembrance Week." It honors the families of military service members who died in the line of duty and the families of veterans. It encourages Americans to perform acts of service and community goodwill during that week in recognition of those families' sacrifices.
Who benefits
Gold Star families — those who lost a loved one serving in the U.S. Armed Forces — receive formal congressional recognition of their sacrifice. Veterans' family advocacy organizations may benefit from increased public awareness. The broader public may benefit from a structured occasion for community service and reflection.
Who is hurt
This resolution carries no regulatory, spending, or legal obligations, so no group is materially harmed. Some may argue that symbolic-only legislation uses limited congressional floor time without producing tangible policy outcomes for Gold Star families.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that Gold Star families bear a profound and often invisible burden — losing a loved one in military service — and that formal congressional recognition fills a gap, since no week-long federal observance previously existed for these families as a whole (only Gold Star Mother's Day). They contend that public commemoration fosters community support and national gratitude that can provide meaningful comfort to grieving families.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that a purely symbolic resolution, with no accompanying funding, services, or policy changes, does little to address the concrete needs of Gold Star families, such as survivor benefits, mental health support, or housing assistance. They contend that congressional time and attention would be better directed toward substantive legislation that materially improves the lives of these families rather than ceremonial designations.