Rep. Miller and House Reject Further War Funding; Vote to Bring Troops Home and Fund Education for Veterans
WASHINGTON, D.C. – 5/15/08 – Congressman George Miller (D-CA) joined a majority of the House of Representatives in voting today to set a timeline to withdraw troops from Iraq today, to provide new education benefits to veterans who began their active duty service after September 11, 2001, and to extend unemployment benefits for people seeking work but not yet able to find a job. The votes were taken along with a separate bill to provide funding for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan requested by President Bush. Miller voted against further funding for the war and the measure did not pass.
Miller and the majority of the House voted to require that U.S. troops begin redeployment from Iraq within 30 days of enactment of the bill, with a goal of completing withdrawal of combat troops by December 2009. It also requires that U.S. reconstruction aid for Iraq be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Iraqi government. The United States now pays for virtually all of the costs of reconstruction in Iraq despite the billions of dollars in oil revenue the Iraqi government receives.
“It is time that Congress does what the President should have done long ago -- bring our troops back home responsibly, safely and quickly,” said Miller. “It is time for President Bush to listen to the American people and support this responsible timeline. Sadly, and yet again, the President has threatened to veto this bill as the Administration continues its failed policy in Iraq, continuing the war without end, regardless of the disastrous and ever mounting costs in lives and dollars and the continuing danger the war poses to America’s and the region’s long-term security.”
Miller and a majority of the House also voted to restore full, four-year college scholarships for veterans who began their military service after the terrorist attacks of 2001. Miller said that education benefits for veterans are a small but important symbol of our respect for their service but also an important part of rebuilding America’s economy with productive workers.
“It is our obligation to take care of our soldiers after they return back to civilian life from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Miller. “This bill will provide them with funding to seek a good education so that our veterans can have a successful future and can contribute again to our country through their work here at home. That’s what we did for Veterans after WWII and we should be doing it now. Current GI educational benefits pay only about 60 percent of a public college education and 30 percent of a private college education.”
“The new GI Bill is fully paid for by a new one-half-of-one-percent income surtax on couples who earn more than $1 million per year. The original GI Bill after WWII launched millions of families on a course to achieving the American dream – and set the American economy on the right course after a draining war. It returned $7 to the economy for every $1 spent on it,” Miller noted.
Miller and a majority of the House also voted to extend unemployment benefits and help Americans struggling in today’s economy. The provision provides for extended unemployment benefits for those who have exhausted the 26 weeks of regular benefits and are still looking for work. “The number of long-term unemployed has been steadily increasing,” said Miller. “This amendment will help more than 700,000 Californians who have or will soon exhaust their unemployment insurance by making them eligible for the extended unemployment benefits. This provision will put $1.73 back into the economy for every $1 spent.” The number of long-term unemployed – 1.35 million workers nationwide – is higher now than when Congress last extended unemployment benefits in 2002.
Miller voted against a separate provision to provide $162.5 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through the summer of 2009 as requested by President Bush. A majority of the House voted against this funding.
“Our economy and country cannot continue to stand the cost of this war, either for the soldiers and their families who have shouldered enormous sacrifice, or for our country,” Miller said. “We should be rebuilding America, not Iraq, and we should be reestablishing the enormous force for good that America can be in the international community rather than continuing to damage regional stability and our reputation abroad by continuing this tragic and unnecessary war. I urge the President to support this timeline and begin to redeploy our troops out of Iraq.”
Posted by PDP-Staff at May 15, 08 09:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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