[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 1015-1016]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                GI BILL

  Mr. WEBB. Mr. President, I wish to raise two issues briefly to the 
Members of our body today.
  The first is, if we look back at the State of the Union speech last 
night, the President, toward the end of his speech, talked about those 
who have been serving since 9/11--the same individuals my colleague 
from Oklahoma has been talking about for the last 35 minutes. The 
President said, at one point:

       We must keep faith with all who have risked life and limb 
     so that we might live in freedom and peace. Over the past 7 
     years, we have increased funding for veterans by more than 95 
     percent. As we increase funding, we must also reform our 
     veterans system to meet the needs of a new war and a new 
     generation.

  Unfortunately, what the President did not speak about in his remarks 
last night was probably the most important benefit we can be offering 
to people who have served our country since 9/11; and that is, a GI 
bill that would give them the same sort of educational benefits as 
those who served during World War II.
  We have heard so many people on this floor and in the administration, 
in their speeches, talk about how this is the next greatest generation. 
We hear people lionizing the service they have given since 9/11, and I 
am one of those who is a great admirer of those young men and women who 
have stepped forward and served since then. But when they leave the 
military, they have an educational package that was designed in 
peacetime as a recruitment incentive in the 1980s and does not allow 
them to move forward toward truly a first-class future.
  Here are a couple of examples for you:
  When people came back from World War II--those veterans--8 million of 
them were able to take advantage of a GI bill that paid all their 
tuition, bought their books, and gave them a monthly stipend to the 
school of their choice.
  For instance, Senator Lautenberg, who is a cosponsor of my GI bill 
legislation, S. 22, was able to go to Columbia on a full boat. Today, 
that would cost $46,874 a year. Our average veteran coming out of Iraq 
and Afghanistan is able to receive about $6,000 a year under this 
Montgomery GI bill that is in place. That is about 12.8 percent of what 
it would take for our veterans today to be able to go to Columbia.
  Senator Warner, my senior colleague from Virginia, was able to take 
advantage of two GI bills. He was able to go to Washington and Lee 
University for his undergraduate degree, and then he was able to go to 
the University of Virginia Law School--full boat. Today, the Montgomery 
GI bill would pay about 14 percent of what it would take to go to the 
Washington and Lee University, and about 13 percent of what it would 
take to go to the UVA Law School.
  I emphasize that I am standing here as a full beneficiary of Uncle 
Sam. After I was wounded in Vietnam and left the Marine Corps, I was 
able to go to Georgetown Law School, with my tuition paid for, my books 
bought, and a monthly stipend. Today's Montgomery GI bill would pay 
about 11.6 percent of that.
  I think it is time for all of us in the political process, who like 
to use the words of praise--rightfully earned by the people on these 
battlefields--to talk the talk and then walk the walk. Let's get them a 
GI bill that truly allows them a first-class future. We have a 
majority--an overwhelming majority--of my Senate colleagues on the 
Democratic side who are cosponsors of this legislation. I am truly 
hopeful people on the other side of the aisle will understand this is 
not a political measure; it is a measure of respect, and it is an 
earned benefit.
  We are giving this year $18.2 billion worth of educational grants to 
people in this country purely based on their economic status. Certainly 
we can afford to pay for a meaningful GI bill for these young men and 
women who have been serving since 9/11.
  The senior Senator from Alaska mentioned, during the Christmas break, 
that we are spending approximately $15

[[Page 1016]]

billion a month in Iraq and Afghanistan. We could fund this GI bill for 
1 week of what it would cost for us to run the wars in Iraq and 
Afghanistan. Unlike a lot of other comparisons that are made on this 
floor, this is a direct comparison because a GI bill is a cost of war.
  I urge my colleagues to get behind it. Let's get this done early in 
this session before we go into the political season, and get these 
young men and women the benefits they not only deserve but they have 
earned.

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