Military Spouses Continue Fight To End 'Widow's Tax'

Spouses of fallen U.S. service members are facing financial burdens that aren't likely to go away unless Congress takes action on what's known as the "widow's tax."

It's an offset that impacts the way survivor benefits are paid out from the federal government after a service member dies. When a widow qualifies for multiple benefit programs, they can receive money from one — but for every dollar they get from that program, a dollar is taken away from the money they receive from the other.

Democratic Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama blasted his colleagues on the Senate floor last week for not making progress on a legislative fix despite wide bipartisan support.

"It is no wonder that the American people think Congress and Washington in general is just completely broken," Jones said. "If we can't fight for military widows and spouses who are having their survivor benefits shortchanged, then who are we going to fight for?"

Critics of the so-called widow's tax say it creates not only a financial burden, but also significant emotional strain. Sue Story of Roseville, California, is one of 65,000 people across the country impacted by the offset, and tells Here & Now she wants it gone.