Washington- June 10, 2008

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.

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.