Kaine, Colleagues Applaud Unanimous Senate Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Increase Job Support for Surviving Spouses of Servicemembers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), welcomed the Senate’s unanimous approval of a bipartisan bill he cosponsored to expand access to job counseling services for spouses of servicemembers who died while on active duty through the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program. The program, which is housed within the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service at the Department of Labor, currently provides every state with funding to hire specialists who provide individualized career counseling services to eligible veterans. The Gold Star and Surviving Spouse Career Services Act expands the program to include surviving spouses.

“Gold Star families make sacrifices day in and day out for our country, and we owe them our support,” said Kaine. “That includes assistance when it comes to accessing high-quality career counseling services. I’m proud the Senate passed bipartisan legislation I cosponsored to stand with surviving spouses and help ensure that type of support is within reach, just like it already is for many veterans.”

Kaine has long fought to expand access and benefits for military families. Kaine secured the inclusion of key wins for military families in the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act — including provisions that improved access to continuing education programs, expanded funding to support military children with severe disabilities, and secured funding to make child care more affordable and accessible for eligible military families. He also introduced the Military Spouse Hiring Act to help boost the hiring of military spouses and introduced the Fair Housing Improvement Act to protect veterans and military families from housing discrimination.

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