Michigan representative champions veterans’ benefits as ‘next chapter’ of his military service

Disabled veterans and families who have lost loved ones in service may receive increased support, thanks to a bill sponsored by Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Michigan, which he calls a “continuation” of his military service.

“Surviving family member benefits have not been updated since the 1990s, and that’s obviously a significant deal, so we wanted to give them an increase in benefits,” Barrett told The Lion in an interview.

The Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act of 2026, which Barrett introduced to the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee in November 2025, passed the House and was sent to the Senate June 2.

The bill aims to support two groups – surviving family members of service members who died in the line of duty and those who have been severely injured during their service. If the legislation passes the Senate and is signed by the president, it will increase the allowance for severely injured veterans and increase the rate of dependency and indemnity compensation by 1% for the surviving families of veterans.

Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson, the namesakes of the bill, represent the community this proposal supports, Barrett said. Briley is the widow of Donovan Briley, a pilot killed in Mogadishu during the Black Hawk Down incident, and Edmundson was severely injured by an IED blast, causing him to lose his ability to speak. He requires round-the-clock care.

“We had a meeting of Gold Star families in Washington a few months ago, and I got to spend time with them, and it was a good opportunity to kind of reflect on the things that are important to do here in Congress,” Barrett said.

After serving in the U.S. Army for 22 years after high school, Barrett said he realized how difficult it was for veterans to obtain employment after returning home. He served four years in the Michigan House and four years in the Michigan Senate before his election to the U.S. House of Representatives. He serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee as well as the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

Barrett said he views his work in Congress as a continuation of his military service.

“All of us in Congress come from different backgrounds, and they get elected by their district, and they come here to Washington to represent their communities, but they also represent their own unique life experience before they came here,” Barrett said. “I take my own experiences in the military and my own experiences in the veteran community to help shape public policy here. When I got elected, I asked specifically to serve on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee because I wanted to have a role in helping to bring that forward, and I’ve been thankful to be able to do that.”

As the legislation progresses in the Senate, Barrett said it may be combined with similar bills.

“The Veterans’ Affairs Committee of both the House and the Senate are having conversations about bills that have crossed the chambers between one another, about what we can do to pull them together. If we can do a package of bills, that would include multiple things, including this. It’s something that we’re continuing to push for.”