Duckworth: Government still paying out two Civil War pensions

Democratic House candidate Tammy Duckworth (Ill.) emphasized the cost of war Wednesday with a curious example.

The former assistant Veterans Affairs secretary, who lost her legs serving in Iraq, noted that the federal government is still paying out pensions to the children of two Civil War veterans — 147 years after the conflict ended.

“We have to understand what the cost of war is. We are still in this country paying for two children of Civil War veterans,” Duckworth told a flabbergasted panel on veterans hosted by the Truman National Security Project.

The veterans had their children when they were in their 80s, Duckworth said. The pensions from Civil War veterans are paid to their children upon their death. These beneficiaries are now more than 100.

The comments come as Democrats are pushing back hard against the Romney campaign's accusation that President Obama has put the nation's safety in danger by signing budget legislation calling for deep cuts to defense spending if lawmakers fail to find other ways to cut the deficit.

“There's one in Tennessee, there's one in Texas,” Duckworth said. “All right? President Obama is keeping promises made by Abraham Lincoln.”