Dems want to boost GI Bill, ‘pro-military’ Bush doesn’t

August 9, 2007

Last month, congressional Dems and the Bush White House fought over whether to give U.S. troops a pay increase for 2008. Dems fought for a 3.5% raise, Bush insisted that was too generous. The “pro-military” president thought the troops could get by with less.

This month, congressional Dems and the Bush White House are at it again, this time over educational benefits for those who wear the uniform. Take a wild guess who wants to do more for the troops.

The Bush administration opposes a Democratic effort to restore full educational benefits for returning veterans, according to an official’s comments last week.

Senate Democrats, led by Virginia’s Jim Webb, want the government to pay every penny of veterans’ educational costs, from tuition at a public university to books, housing and a monthly stipend.

Such a benefit was a major feature of the historic 1944 G.I. Bill, which put more than eight million U.S. soldiers through college and is now credited by historians as fueling the expansion of America’s middle class in the post-war era.

The G.I. Bill has been neglected in recent years, and with no lengthy wars with major troop deployments in decades, there’s been minimal political pressure to keep the education benefits at full-strength. As of now, veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan can expect the federal government to cover only 75% of their tuition costs.

Dems and veterans’ advocates believe that’s not enough. The Bush administration is unmoved.

More than 450,000 used the benefit last year, at a cost to taxpayers of $2 billion, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which administers the program. The Democratic proposal would cost an additional $5.4 billion a year, the VA estimates — and that’s too much, it says.

Keith Wilson, the VA official who oversees the education benefits program, told senators last Friday the proposal would make “administration of this program cumbersome,” and its costs would “tax existing VA resources.”

But Democrats appeared unfazed. The current GI Bill is “woefully inadequate, given the service our military men and women have provided since [the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks],” said Webb, a combat veteran and former Navy secretary, who introduced the legislation that would expand the program. Webb’s bill has 19 Democratic co-sponsors, including Sens. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and John Kerry, D-Mass., a fellow veteran.

Of course, unless you believe the troops should stay in the middle of Iraq’s civil war, you don’t really support the troops.

Once again an agency says to Congress: “Please don’t give us more cash.” More proof that BushWorld and BizzaroWorld are the same place.

As of now, veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan can expect the federal government to cover only 75% of their tuition costs.

Assuming some bit of fine print or screwing around with their discharge doesn’t exempt them from benefits.

  • I know it’s an oversimplification, but why should there be any cost to administer the program (or at least minimal cost). What, is Halliburton getting paid to administer the program? Why couldn’t returning veterans just show up at the state school with DoD form in hand and receive a free education? Is it that hard to figure out?

    But these are educated people, I forget sometimes.

  • What is needed to help change the perception that the Democratic party is not pro-military? Of course – that famous liberal-biased media will assist.

    Not.

  • Imagine what a comprehensive, concerted effort to spotlight to the American people the Administration’s stance on this particular issue would do. There is nothing that cannot and should not be supported in this bill.

    I’m just going to keep on imagining how such an effort would work out, because I know that the Democrats cannot and will not do so, losing the easiest of fights. Again.

  • Tuition at the state university in 1968 was $125/semester. It’s now close to $3000. I’m all for tax dollars paying for GI’s tuition but also bringing the cost back to $125/semester so others can at least afford to pay. Democrats should push to pay for GI’s tuition no matter what the costs. It’s a benefit they deserve but they should also push to lower the cost for all of us so we could more afford to pay for the GI benefit. Stop listening to Republicans on anything dealing with the military…they are always wrong and have always made conditions for soldiers worse.

  • If the benefits are good, then the cost of the program in taxes will be higher, then the (legions of) middle-class voters (America’s greatest constituency) won’t want to pay it themselves, and the conclusion will be higher taxes on corporations, which Bush and his buddies can’t have. It’s really that simple.

  • I find it sad it’s even fallen at all.

    What the Democrats need to do is make publicity hay out of this and everything else. They’ve got to stop playing nice.

    I’m trying to write my congresspeople once a week or so on vital issues. We’ve got to keep pushing them.

  • the historic 1944 G.I. Bill, which put more than eight million U.S. soldiers through college and is now credited by historians as fueling the expansion of America’s middle class

    And therein lies the problem. The Right hates the middle class. The truly poor they can easily control or at the least they lack the means to be a threat. But the mere existence of a middle class, and much worse a large one, puts some limits on how out of control greedy the Upper Class can be. If this damned social program helped create a middle class, well, the hell with that.

  • JKap –

    I know it’s an oversimplification, but why should there be any cost to administer the program … Why couldn’t returning veterans just show up at the state school with DoD form in hand and receive a free education?

    Because professors like to get paid? Because you need money to keep the lights on at a university? And to pay for computers and such? That money has to come from somewhere, and the agency responsible for that money has to put procedures in place to make sure claims aren’t fraudulent, track where money is going, answer calls from veterans and schools who need to figure out where the money is, why it isn’t in the school’s hands yet and what needs to be done to get it there.

    Doing otherwise and still giving the money to the universities would be opening us up to lots of fraud and wasted taxpayer money. Not giving the money and requiring state schools to do what you say amounts to an unfunded mandate that would be paid for by – raising tuition costs at state schools for non veterans. Neither of those are good policy decisions.

  • veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan can expect the federal government to cover only 75% of their tuition costs.
    and:
    More than 450,000 used the benefit last year, at a cost to taxpayers of $2 billion, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which administers the program. The Democratic proposal would cost an additional $5.4 billion a year, the VA estimates

    I know my math skills have always been poor, but…Can someone explain to me how, if 2 billion covers 75% of the costs, the remaining 25% will clock in at 5.4 billion?

  • In Shrubworld, the perception of competence and intelligence always rises with the amount of money one has. The idea that some kid from rural America or some less privileged circumstance would have something to offer besides his/her arms/legs/sanity to this country is too far fetched for contemplation.

    The G.I. bill helped build this country. Combining the toughness of war experience with the opening and education of the veteran’s minds gave this country a foundation of people who not only could figure out how to do things but the dedication and discipline to see those ideas through.

    Some of the smartest people in this country are people that Shruby and his ilk are completely blind to. And if they are perceived to exist, their existence is offensive.

    There is so much more to “supporting the troops” than the mindless jingoistic pablum that substitutes for true patriotism in Shrubworld. Providing a solid education after putting everything on the line for this country is among the least that should be offered to those who have served.

    But an educated and competent populace who know the downside of war first hand are antithetical to a bunch of chickenhawks who want war none stop and need a dumbed down chunk of the populace to keep operating the war machines.

  • “I know my math skills have always been poor, but…Can someone explain to me how, if 2 billion covers 75% of the costs, the remaining 25% will clock in at 5.4 billion?”

    the 2 billion covers 75% of tuition costs, the bill being discussed also covers fees, housing, and a stipend. that would explain part of the difference. however, considering the high price of tuition at most colleges and universities, i also find it hard to believe that covering the remaining 25%, plus the additional expenses, would add that much more to the costs.

  • Just Bill asked where the $5.4 billion. It came from the same place all the administration’s statistics come from. Out of thin air.

  • Can someone explain to me how, if 2 billion covers 75% of the costs, the remaining 25% will clock in at 5.4 billion?

    Republican-appointed VA official covering Bush’s ass by making stuff up?

  • The G.I. bill helped build this country. Combining the toughness of war experience with the opening and education of the veteran’s minds gave this country a foundation of people who not only could figure out how to do things but the dedication and discipline to see those ideas through.

    Lots and lots of people are pretty intelligent, and they just don’t use it. That’s what it took to get through the bad old days- hunting and fighting each other and figuring out agriculture and all other sorts of problems inherent to survival in the Middle Ages, and all the way back from their to the dawn of humanity. These problems just don’t solve themselves, and humanity would not have survived without a lot of people who have the capacity to do the solving, rather than just endlessly trying to blunder their way through the problem.

    A lot of people who came back from WWII bacame Hell’s Angels, too. I think the difference between a G.I. Bill and not having a G.I. Bill, post-war, is a more working-class (sometimes in a bad way) group of combat experienced veterans, or a more middle class group of veterans who can apply their native intelligence to their dreams and something really productive. It can change the whole course of your life. I don’t think it has so much to do with whether you’ve ‘been in the shit’ or not (except, that may lead to the ‘Hell’s Angel’ example, if the opportunity isn’t there). I think being able to live a great life and give back as much as you can just depends on having the opportunity to do so.

    Everybody should have opportunities like this, and this bill (the one the Democrats wanted) is a big part of getting us there.

  • “from their to the dawn of humanity.”

    oops- native intelligence failing me- should have been, “from there,” of course. At least public education and loans provided me with enough to enable me to write the rest of that awesome comment…

  • But veterans are also good candidates for college because– and of course, I’m generalizing– they’ve demonstrated socially-reinforcing behavior by doing their bit, may have grown up through their experiences, are old enough to be less likely to be in an immature, squandering phase, and perhaps are thankful to have an opportunity.

  • I’m a disabled Veteran of the US Army (Operation Desert Storm).

    After I got out of the Army on a medical discharge (Honorable), I decided to go back and finish the college degree that I left after my sophomore year to join the Army.

    How did the U.S. Army help this Veteran? As a disabled veteran with a service connected disability of 30%, I was eligible for Vocational Rehabilitation (Chapter 31). The vocational rehabilitation that I qualified for was college.

    And what does Chapter 31 cover? 100% of all education costs. This includes tuition, fees, parking, books, supplies.

    On top of that, I also got paid a generous stipend every month that was enough to pay my rent.

    After I graduated, I had no student loans to pay. But I also had over $50K in GI Bill benefits that I could have used to go to Graduate school.

    So I did. And that was paid for by the U.S. Army, too.

    Now, if I ever decide that I’d like to go back and get my PhD, I have the Hazlewood Act that is available to all veterans who listed Texas as their state of record.

    Thus, I will be able to obtain a Bachelors, Masters, and a PhD without a single penny coming out of my pocket.

    My point?

    Perhaps the GOP’s reluctance to “boost” Veterans benefits for education is because we already get ridiculously great educational benefits as it is…more often than not, much more than we need.

  • Robbie Cooper, but that was because you already completed part of your degree, right? They didn’t pay for 100% of your education, they paid for 100% of the rest of it. Way to confuse people.

  • Robbie Cooper wrote:

    “After I got out of the Army on a medical discharge (Honorable), I decided to go back and finish the college degree that I left after my sophomore year to join the Army.” (emphasis added by me)

    Remember, folks, there’s no way the Democrats and Republicans would be fighting over 75% versus 100% funding if they weren’t really fighting over 75% versus 100% funding, despite what this commenter says.

  • And you had to be disabled to get it. What about everyone that’s not disabled? Should they be at an extra educational disadvantage- besides the time they already spent in service- to people who didn’t serve but did go to college?

  • BINGO!!!

    Give the vets all these benefits and they won’t re-enlist as much. They will have full support to retire and go to school.

    Bush and his advisors know this will cause them to lose more of their canon fodder.

  • Just a minor correction. We still receive 100% tuition assistance while in the military. Also, my wife is attending a local school for veterinary training; the GI Bill is covering the entire cost of the program.

    I think there’s more than a little political points game being played here.

    Let the attacks begin.

  • Of the last 10 posts, 7 were from Swan. This really scrolls the thread and frankly makes it hard to follow your points – can’t you please collect your thoughts before you hit send? Sure from time to time everyone will need to double post, but 4 in a row and then 3 in a row? That’s a little much.

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