Obama Signs Bill To Restore Military Death Benefits

His first stopgap funding measure of the shutdown

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Shawn Thew / EPA

President Barack Obama

President Barack Obama signed a bill ending the suspension of benefits given to military families of fallen soldiers.

Families receive military death benefits of about $100,000 within the first few days of a service member’s death, which helps to cover burial costs. The failure to allocate payments sparked outrage among military families and on Capitol Hill, since 29 military members have died since the shutdown, the Associated Press reports. Obama’s signature came just hours after the Senate cleared the bill and a day after charity the Fisher House Foundation offered to provide the payments during the political gridlock.

This is Obama’s first stopgap funding measure since the Oct. 1 shutdown.

[Associated Press]