[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 188 (Thursday, November 29, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S7222]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                           Michigan Veterans

  Ms. STABENOW. Madam President, representing Michigan in the U.S. 
Senate is such an honor, and one of the best parts of this job is the 
work I am able to do on behalf of Michigan's over 600,000 veterans.
  Our veterans have always been first in line to defend our democracy. 
That is why they should never be at the back of any line--for a job, 
for healthcare, for housing, or for education.
  Our government has made our veterans promises--important promises--
and those promises must be kept. That is true of the Trump 
administration, as well as every other administration. Unfortunately, 
many of our veterans are now finding that promises the government made 
to them regarding their education are being broken.
  For weeks now, student veterans have spoken out about their GI bill 
benefits being delayed or incorrect. One of those veterans is Brendan. 
He serves his country in the Michigan National Guard, and he is a 
student at Lake Superior State University in the beautiful Upper 
Peninsula of Michigan.
  A few months ago, Brendan's GI bill benefits didn't go through even 
though he had done everything he was supposed to do. Brendan told his 
local station, WWTV:

       I got emails saying, you need to pay your tuition. It 
     stresses you out because you are wondering if you are going 
     to get paid, and if I can't pay tuition, then I can't enroll 
     in the next semester.

  Bill, another student at Lake Superior State University, is a veteran 
of the U.S. Marine Corps. His housing stipend was 36 days late. ``It 
upsets me,'' he told WWTV. He added: ``When I was active duty, you are 
expected to be anywhere in the world within 24 hours, boots on the 
ground, ready to complete a mission. . . . When it comes time to pay 
veterans back for their service, it takes me 35 days to get a check in 
the mail.''
  That is simply outrageous.
  What is even more outrageous is that this week, the Department of 
Veterans Affairs said it does not intend to reimburse veterans who were 
paid less than they were owed. That is after the Trump administration 
promised a House committee earlier this month that it would make sure 
veterans are reimbursed. The Department blames computer issues and says 
that going back to fix the mistakes would only delay further claims. 
That is completely unacceptable. You can bet that if Brendan or Bill or 
any other veteran tried to blame computer glitches for not paying their 
phone bill or failing to complete an assignment, it wouldn't work.
  These veterans have done everything--everything--we have asked of 
them. It is our government's responsibility to provide them with 
everything they have been promised, and I am committed to doing 
everything in my power to make sure that happens. That is why earlier 
this month I called on the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to address 
this issue with the urgency it deserves--in other words, now. This 
isn't the first time the VA has faced backlogs, either, but it should 
be the last time--the very last time--our veterans are affected by 
them.
  I heard about some of these issues during a series of 13 veterans 
roundtables I held around Michigan this year. I do this on a periodic 
basis to find out how things are going and what more I can do to help--
as well as, of course, working with individual veterans who call our 
office every week.
  In response to these roundtables, which I very much appreciate people 
from around the State participating in, I introduced the Student 
Veterans Housing Act, which would help ensure that student veterans 
have a place to live as they are pursuing their education.
  Currently, the end of the semester can mean the loss of housing 
benefits--when you are in between semesters and not in school--because 
the VA can't pay for housing in between semesters. My legislation would 
help ensure that student veterans don't have to reach into their own 
pockets to pay for a benefit they have already earned and would make 
sure they are not losing their housing between semesters. Our veterans 
should be able to focus on their studies, not worry about keeping a 
roof over their heads.
  These veterans need to know their tuition payments will be there on 
time, just as they were promised. It is not enough to praise our 
veterans. We do that all the time, but praise doesn't pay the tuition 
bills or housing costs for student veterans. Instead, we must uphold 
each and every promise our country has made to them, including their GI 
bill benefits.
  I was very pleased when we were able to strengthen the GI bill and 
was excited about the opportunities for new support for our veterans. 
Now we are hearing about technical issues and glitches that make no 
sense and undermine the ability of our veterans to fully benefit from 
the improved GI bill.
  The Trump administration must address these technical issues 
immediately. The Senate must pass legislation, including my Student 
Veterans Housing Act, which will ensure that veterans are receiving all 
of the benefits they have earned. The VA must repay each and every 
dollar our veterans are owed, period. Veterans like Brendan and Bill 
and so many others have always been first in line to defend us. It is 
time for us to stand up for them and get this issue fixed.
  Madam President, I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
order for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.