[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 11972-11973]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        DEMOCRATS ARE FIGHTING TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF VETERANS

  (Mr. BRALEY of Iowa asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Madam Speaker, while the Iraq war has stretched 
our military thin and our troops continue to struggle with multiple 
deployments, House Democrats are fighting to improve the lives of 
soldiers when they return home.
  Last month we passed a new and improved GI Bill that restores the 
promise of a full 4-year college scholarship. The original GI Bill 
sparked economic growth and expansion in America after World War II. 
This new bill will be an integral part of rebuilding our failing 
economy. It will also make military service more attractive and improve 
the quality of recruits as we work to strengthen our military. The new 
GI Bill goes further than current law, which only covers a small 
portion of public and private college education.

[[Page 11973]]

  Madam Speaker, the education of our Nation's veterans should be 
considered a cost of the war which they rightfully have earned after 
completing their military service.
  Madam Speaker, the U.S. has never gone wrong when it properly invests 
in education and rewards our veterans. I would only hope that President 
Bush would reconsider his opposition to the new GI Bill. It is the 
right thing to do for both our military and our economy.

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