[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 82 (Monday, May 19, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4292-S4294]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS
Mr. SALAZAR. Madam President, this week is a very important week for
the United States of America and for the Senate because we will begin
our dialog about where we are in Iraq today and where we are going in
Iraq in the future; where we are in Afghanistan today and where we are
going in Afghanistan in the future.
As part of this dialog we will engage in here in the Senate over the
next few days, we will also engage in a major discussion about how it
is that our Nation should treat those veterans from both Iraq and
Afghanistan, those veterans who have served our country since our
country was attacked on 9/11.
It is important at the outset, as we begin this discussion, to first
of all pause to remember that there has been a great deal of sacrifice
on the part of Americans in terms of life and blood in both Iraq and
Afghanistan. We must remember these warriors, these fighters who have
been fighting for the cause of their country. We must do that every day
so their contribution is never forgotten.
As of today, in Iraq there have been 4,078 Americans who have given
their lives carrying out the orders of their Commander in Chief. In
Iraq, as of today, since the beginning of that war, there have been
30,004 members of our armed services who have been wounded in Iraq. Let
me repeat that number one more time: 30,004 members of our armed
services who have been wounded in Iraq. In Afghanistan, where we have
now been for 7 years, fighting a just war, going after the Taliban--an
effort that spearheaded and should have succeeded in going after Osama
bin Laden--in Afghanistan there have been 4,097 Americans who have been
killed and 1,044 who have been wounded. For these brave men and women
who have served our country and who have given their lives or who have
been wounded in the cause that has been assigned to them, we should
dedicate the debate we will have on the floor of the Senate in the days
ahead.
Today, as we begin that debate, I want to speak about two things.
First, with respect to Iraq, it has been my view for the last several
years that we need to have a new direction in Iraq. In December of
2006, when the Iraq Study Group, headed up by Congressman Lee Hamilton
and former Secretary of State James Baker, came forward with
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the bipartisan Iraq Study Group recommendations, they came forward with
a coherent set of recommendations about how we ought to move forward in
the transition of the mission in Iraq. That was more than a year and a
half ago when those recommendations were coming together.
Since then, some of those recommendations have been implemented, but
by and large the bulk of those recommendations--in what the heart of
the recommendations was really all about in the Iraq Study Group
report--have not been implemented. The heart of those recommendations
was, if the United States did some things right, we would be able to
transition in the spring of 2008--which is right now, the spring of
2008--from a mission of combat over to a mission of support, of
training the Iraqi forces, of providing protection to the American
interests in Iraq, making sure we had special forces on the ground to
chase al-Qaida and other terrorist elements.
That is the transition of mission which was called for by the Iraq
Study Group, now some time ago, where they said this transition should
be completed by the spring of 2008.
We are not there yet. One of the things on which we will engage in a
debate on the floor this week is where we ought to go. In my view, that
transition of mission is something we should require by law. We should
require it because it is the only way in which ultimately we are going
to be successful in Iraq. It is the only way in which the baton and
mantle of responsibility which the United States of America has assumed
for security in Iraq can be handed over and given to the Iraqi
Government. It is time for the Iraqi Government and the Iraqi people to
stand up for their own nation. The time for the United States of
America to be doing it on behalf of the Iraqi people has come to an
end. It will be coming to an end.
I hope this debate leads us to find that new direction in Iraq in the
days and weeks and months ahead. But there is another element to this
debate that we will have this week, and that is how we, as a grateful
nation, honor the 1.6 million veterans who have served this country
since September 11, 2001, when this country was attacked. This week we
will have an opportunity to stand for our veterans in a way that walks
the walk, not just talks the talk about how great our veterans are--
because they are--but allows us an opportunity to send them an
unmistakable signal that we, as a grateful nation, are willing and
wanting to pay them for that sacrifice they have made for our country.
Abraham Lincoln, in his second Inaugural Address on March 4, 1865,
said the following:
With malice toward none, with charity for all, with
firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let
us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the
nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the
battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may
achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves
and with all nations.
Today we will begin the discussion about how we move forward with
what will be known in time as the 21st century GI bill of rights.
It is, in our parlance, S. 22, which is a formulation of this 21st
century GI bill of rights which has been put together by none other
than Senator Jim Webb from Virginia, who himself has been a great
contributor to so many causes for American veterans and who, through
his own pen and through his own writing and his own work, has taken the
lead in making sure we are providing this honor to our veterans who
have served since September 11, 2001. For his work, and the work of
colleagues who will join him in this effort, we need to pay him tribute
for making sure he is making America walk the walk in honoring our
veterans.
I also wish to applaud the great leadership of Senator Hagel, who
does so much to bring that voice of independence and authenticity to
the floor of the Senate; to Senator John Warner, who is oftentimes the
Moses, with his voice leading us out of the wilderness on tough issues
here in the Senate; to Senator Lautenberg, who himself was a
beneficiary of the GI bill of rights as a World War II veteran and who
today speaks so eloquently on behalf of the veterans and the military
policy of our country. And also to all of the other Senators, the 58
Senators who have joined us in this legislation, along with Senator
Akaka, who is the chairman of our Veterans Affairs' Committee, who so
often is standing to make sure we do not forget what the veterans have
done here for us in America, along with Senator Inouye, Senator
Stevens, and others who have been so much a part of this effort.
I am pleased that the bill that was reported out of the
Appropriations committee with the 2008 Supplemental Appropriations Act,
includes provisions to help a new generation of veterans receive the
educational benefits they have earned through their service in wartime.
The 1.6 million soldiers and sailors, airmen and marines who have
served in Iraq or Afghanistan over the last 7 years, often with
multiple deployments which last up to not only a year but 15 months,
have given more than their country could have expected of them. It is
right and it is proper that their country honor them with the benefits
commensurate with their service and with their sacrifice.
The GI bill the Congress passed after World War II proved to be one
of the greatest ideas this country has ever had. That GI bill was based
on a simple but powerful premise: If you served your country in
wartime, your country would pay for your education. If you served your
country during wartime, your country would pay for your education--a
simple but powerful premise.
For the 7.8 million World War II veterans who took advantage of the
GI bill, this great idea opened the doors of opportunity in civilian
life. It eased the difficult transition from wartime service to
peacetime employment and equipped the greatest generation--the greatest
generation--with the education and skills to lead our country into an
era of prosperity and into an era of growth.
Over the last half century, the educational benefits we offer our
veterans have evolved from the wartime service benefits of the World
War II GI bill to a more limited set of educational benefits known as
the Montgomery GI bill. Designed primarily for peacetime, the
Montgomery GI bill helps defray the cost of tuition, but it does not
cover the full cost of education. Today, almost 7 years into the war in
Afghanistan and more than 5 years into the war in Iraq, the educational
benefits we offer our veterans should reflect the magnitude of the
sacrifices they are making on our behalf.
The 21st century GI bill does this by restoring the principle of the
first wartime GI bill. Under S. 22, servicemembers who have answered
the call of duty since September 11 will receive an educational benefit
that will cover the full cost of a 4-year public education. The benefit
will be available to not only the Active-Duty component but also to
members of the National Guard and Reserve, proportional to their amount
of Active-Duty service since September 11, 2001. It is fitting and it
is proper that they be included in this benefit.
Now, in an unfathomable and incomprehensible way, to me, I know there
are critics of this bill, including the President of the United States,
who said that this bill is too expensive--that this bill is too
expensive. To them, I say that providing our servicemembers a
comprehensive educational benefit is simply a cost of war.
Since 2003, we have spent over $525 billion in Iraq alone--that is
$525 billion in Iraq alone. This year, we will spend nearly $150
billion in Iraq, over $12 billion a month every month. Compare that to
this 21st century GI bill of rights. It will cost between $2.5 billion
and $4 billion a year--$2.5 billion to $4 billion a year. Think of
that. The cost of this new GI bill is about the same as a cost of
conducting the war in Iraq for 10 days--for 10 days.
As we have a duty to provide our men and women in uniform the
equipment they need to do their jobs, so, too, we as a nation and the
Senate have a duty to provide them the educational benefits that will
assist their transition back to civilian life. This should not even be
a close question. This should not even be a debate.
In addition to all the opportunities this bill will create for
America's newest veterans, this bill is a smart investment for both our
military and our economy. The educational benefits under this
legislation would help us rebuild our military.
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Over the last several years, the Army has consistently been missing
its recruiting goals. As a result, the Army has relaxed its enlistment
policies, lowered the standards for signing up new soldiers, and
implemented a stop-loss policy to keep soldiers in beyond their
contract obligation. This formula is symptomatic of a military in
America which today is under severe strain. It is a formula that will,
over time--and it already has--erode the quality of our armed services.
The benefits under this 21st century GI bill will reverse this trend by
attracting a new generation of high-quality recruits who come to the
service of their country for the promise of an education in return.
S. 22 is a powerful recruitment tool. It is also a very smart
economic investment. Each month it seems we read a new report
describing how America is falling behind in education and losing its
global competitiveness. With tuition costs rising, more and more young
Americans are finding college out of reach. Ask those young Americans
in college today or ask their parents today about how far out of reach
college has become for them.
Veterans who in another era would have been able to use their
Montgomery GI bill to pay for college now find their benefits have not
kept pace with tuition growth. After years of service to their country
and multiple deployments, college remains out of reach.
By making college accessible again to those who have answered the
call since September 11, we will be making one of the smartest
investments we can possibly make. By giving veterans a clear path from
the military to the classroom, we will be equipping them with the
skills and knowledge they need to lead our world. We will be helping
them fulfill their destiny as the greatest generation of their time,
leaders in their community, leaders in business, and leaders for
America and the world in the 21st century.
I am proud of all of my colleagues who are behind this bill. I am
proud of the leadership of Senator Danny Akaka, the chairman of the
Veterans' Affairs Committee. I am proud of Senator Webb, who has led
this. I am proud of Senator Hagel, whose principled voice serves our
soldiers so well; Senator Warner, whose wisdom and leadership on the
Armed Services Committee has been so valuable for so many years; and
Senator Lautenberg and Senator Akaka, who both attended college under
the GI bill in World War II. I thank each of them for their leadership.
I am proud the 21st century GI bill is included in this fiscal year
2008 supplemental. I am proud we have resisted efforts to weaken the
bill. I am proud we have the opportunity to honor the service of our
veterans with this GI bill to better reflect their sacrifice.
I yield the floor.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Hawaii is
recognized.
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