Commander In Chief Takes Action on What Matters to Veterans

This week and last there have been a number of big developments in Congress and the White House on and military and veterans issues.  President Barack Obama continues to show why Democrats focus on veterans, our troops and their service, rather than the military industrial complex and their constantly over-budget military projects.

Veterans Issues
Congress approved and the president signed into law a bill that will require the Veterans Administration’s budget to be approved a year in advance.  For 20 of the last 23 years, Congress has failed to approve the VA budget on time, which threatens to delay services for veterans.

However, Congress must address the delays in payments to veterans using the 21st Century GI Bill.  The VA has admitted they are unprepared to review and approve stipends for thousands of veterans who are now attending school under the law and counting on the living stipends to continue their education in this recession.  Congressman Harry Mitchell (D-Tempe), who introduced the 21st Century GI Bill in the House last year and with Senator Jim Webb (D-Virginia), will soon put the VA delays under review as Chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.

The sooner we get tuition and living stipends moving to America’s young Iraq and Afghan war veterans now in college, the sooner we can get these leaders into our workforce and move our economy forward.  When the 21st Century GI Bill was proposed, Democrats pointed out how critical the original GI Bill was in strengthening the American economy in the 1940s and 1950s.  This program can be part of the same jump start to our economy.

Military Issues
Bringing us one step closer to ending a discriminatory policy, the Secretary of the Army said the Army is ready for the end of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.  President Obama’s newly appointed Secretary of the Army, John McHugh, a former Republican Congressman from upstate New York representing Fort Drum, said the doesn’t think the issue will disrupt Army morale or unit cohesion and what matters most is stopping the punishment of patriotic Americans who volunteer to serve their country.

Finally, President Obama signed a $680 million military spending policy bill that cut out or reduced nearly every cut or reduction the White House fought for, an unprecedented achievement on military budgeting and programs.  Recognizing that America’s troops are fighting every day in small arms firefights and against roadside and vehicle borne bombs, President Obama stopped billions of dollars of unnecessary fighter planes, warships and missile defense systems.  And to prove he’s willing to bear the impact of those cuts as well, President Obama threatened to veto any bill that included a new version of Marine One (the new helicopter would have been a VH-71 Kestrel, the most advanced helicopter in the world–as you can tell I want one).

Democrats Fighting for Veterans and Winning Their Support
These cuts allow us to focus our tax dollars on increased support to our service members on the ground in combat as we speak, and allows us to dramatically increase the VA budget to support returning wounded veterans and their families.  They also fulfill campaign promises by President Obama to focuss on what matters for our troops and our veterans.

At the ballot box and in registration numbers, veterans are recognizing the work of Democrats and have shifted their support since the 2004 election.  Despite running against a war hero with an respeced history of service, President Obama won 45% of the veteran vote, an increase from Kerry’s 42%.  More striking though is that in the 2008 election 35% of veterans identify as Democrats, versus 34% for Republicans, from 31% Democrat and 41% Republican in 2004.

What’s the critical shift that can change this?  Young people of course.  22% of the electorate in 2008 was young, but only 5% of the veteran voters were young.  Since young people voted 2-1 for not just Obama but Democrats, we are again critical to increasing the veteran vote for Democrats.  So Young Democratic veterans, talk to your buddies, get them registered, and turn them out!