Fearing calls vote ‘cruel and unfair’
Democratic congressional candidate, George Fearing, today criticized Doc Hastings for being “missing in action”, and failing to support the 21st Century GI Bill which updates college education benefits for combat veterans serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Congressman Hastings first voted against the GI Bill last May and now has a chance to change and support this bill, which awaits another vote in the House following Senate action two weeks ago.
“Honoring our troops means honoring them when they come back home, not just when they are serving on a battlefield in Iraq,” said Fearing. “After standing up again and again to serve under the most terrible conditions, I call on Doc Hastings to stand up and give them a chance at a first rate education. Helping our GI’s get through college is the best investment our country can make, for their future and ours. We know that a college graduate earns at least $500,000 more in their lifetime, and with our economy in a downturn, we need a highly skilled and educated workforce to lead us out of recession.”
Fearing cited a l988 Congressional study which found that every dollar spent on educational benefits under the original GI Bill added seven dollars to the national economy in terms of productivity, consumer spending and tax revenue. Fearing also noted, “the original GI Bill, first signed into law in 1944 by President Franklin Roosevelt, is credited with building America’s strong middle class following WW II. Today there are seven current US Senators and many members of Congress who received their college education because of the GI Bill.”
Although the original GI bill paid full tuition, housing and living costs for some 8 million vets, over time it has been scaled back to the point where the maximum a veteran can receive is $9,000 per year, which covers a little more than half the costs of attending a four year public university.
Under the new GI Bill, members of the military, including guards and reservists, who have served on active duty since 9/11 are eligible to receive education benefits equaling the highest tuition rate of the most expensive in-state public university, along with a monthly housing stipend which is to be determined by geographical area. It also creates a dollar-for-dollar match for contributions from private educational institutions that have higher tuition rates than those covered under the bill.
Fearing criticized Republicans who have opposed the GI Bill on the grounds it will hurt re-enlistment and retention rates. “Denying college benefits to our veterans because you are afraid they will not re-enlist for combat is cruel and unfair. Divorce rates for these military personnel are up 65% and their suicide rate is twice as high as the national average. After serving their fourth or fifth tours of duty, they have earned the right to stay home, graduate college and begin earning a decent living for themselves and their families. It’s the least we can do for them.”
Fearing also cited a current report by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office stating that any loss in troop retention and re-enlistment would be balanced out by an equal increase in new recruits attracted into the military by the prospects of college education.
Republican Senator John Warner, who supports the new GI Bill compared this legislation to “putting a big piece of cheese out there, which will induce more qualified people to join just to get this. It should be a tremendous incentive for recruitment.”
Some Republicans have asserted that these new GI Bill college benefits are too costly, although this bill appropriates only $2.5 billion per year, roughly equivalent to what we are now spending for just one week in Iraq.
President Bush has signaled he will veto the new GI Bill and Hastings is expected to stand with the President in any attempt to override this veto, as Hastings has a record of voting with Bush over 90% of the time. Fearing is calling upon veterans and concerned citizens to call or write Hastings’ office in Pasco at (509) 543-9396, Yakima (509) 452-3243, or Washington DC (202) 225-3251, and urge him to support this bill.
The 21st Century GI Bill, first introduced by Senator Jim Webb, was co-sponsored by Republican Senators Chuck Hagel and John Warner. It is widely endorsed by veterans’ organizations, including the non-partisan Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). Currently Republicans have offered up a water-down GI Bill in the Senate, which excludes many service members by allocating the most generous benefits to soldiers who have served at least 12 years. The Webb-Hagel-Warner GI Bill would provide full college benefits to combat veterans after 3 years of service.
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