Walz to New Ulm Journal: The 21st Century GI Bill

Congressman Walz sent a letter to the New Ulm Journal about the 21st Century GI Bill:

I agree wholeheartedly with your recent editorial (“Serving nation’s military veterans”) that more needs to be done to keep faith with our veterans who have courageously served our country. As a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, I have been proud to work on a bipartisan basis to help our veterans and hold the Department of Veterans Affairs accountable for its use of our tax dollars.

As your editorial mentioned, the House of Representatives recently passed a landmark new GI Bill that will bring educational benefits for our veterans into the 21st century.

This new GI Bill is more than just a way of repaying the debt we owe the members of our armed forces. It is also a demonstration of America’s commitment to our young men and women, who will know that if they choose to enlist in the military, we will stand with them - on the battlefield and when they return. That is why I call on President Bush to sign this important bill into law.

However, I want to clarify a point raised in the editorial. The educational assistance under the new GI Bill can be used at colleges as well as universities and is not limited to in-state schools. The amount of tuition assistance a veteran can receive is determined by the highest in-state tuition rate at the most expensive public college or university, but the veteran can use their GI Bill benefits to pay tuition essentially wherever he or she chooses.

The original GI Bill opened the door to higher education and to prosperity for a whole generation of American service members. It was one of the greatest achievements of the 20th Century in America. The legislation the House passed last week has the potential to do the same for a new generation of American veterans. President Bush should drop his veto threat and sign it into law when it reaches his desk.

REP. TIM WALZ

First Dist., Minnesota

The editorial is here. The other argument against the bill are pretty lame as well--that bringing veterans educational benefits up-to-date will somehow rob commitments to older vets. The fact is that veterans groups themselves are among the strongest supporters of the 21st Century 21 Bill.