Pelosi: New Bill Will Transfer GI Benefits Of Fallen Soldiers To Children

By Annie Berman- Talk Radio News Service

A supplement to the Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act, also known as The New Post 9/11 GI Bill, will transfer educational benefits to the children of fallen soldiers, has recently been approved by Congress.

“The bill includes more than 10% over last year in funding veteran’s medical care claims processors and facility improvements. In addition, the bill includes more than $48 billion in advance appropriations for 2011. This ensures timely and predictable funding for veteran’s health care initiatives,” said Pelosi Wednesday during a press conference with members of numerous veteran groups.

Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Texas), who helped lead a round table discussion with members of veterans services organizations, also introduced The Marine Gunnery Sgt. John David Fry Scholarship, which will give the children of fallen soldiers on active-duty the same Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits as those who served three years of active-duty.

“We hope that this scholarship program will honor those who were lost in combat and serviced the country [and] be a sign of respect to every service man and woman and to every military family,” Edwards said.

Ed. Sec. Duncan: Unprecedented Money Will Lead to Unprecedented Reforms

By Michael Combier-Talk Radio News Service

The $100 billion given to the Department of Education by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is the most expensive piece of legislation since the G.I. Bill which provided college education for returning World War II veterans. The investment is intended to shore up state education efforts, while saving jobs and encouraging educational innovation with its main objective to provide a better future for the youth of this country and the future generations said Education Secretary Arne Duncan at a press conference this morning.

“It is a time of economic crisis, it is a time of educational crisis and I am convinced we need to educate our way to a better economy. The challenges are real, the challenges are profound,the stakes have never been higher but the opportunity is absolutely once in a lifetime,” said Duncan.

“With unprecedented resources we want to push unprecedented reform,” said Duncan, adding that “we have to get dramatically better if we were to retain our spot around the world as the education leader... By the year 2020, we want to have the highest percent of college graduates in the world.”

To reach this ambitious goal, investments will be made in nearly every level of education. $5 billion will be invested to early childhood education. $30 billion will be invested in higher education. “There are no good dropouts, no good jobs today for high school dropouts... condemning them to poverty and social failure,” Duncan said. $2.5 billion will be dedicated over five years to retain students in higher education, and “the goal is not to go to college, the goal is to graduate,” he said.

These students are "competing with students in India and China for jobs... We have to raise the bar,” said Duncan.

For Duncan,”we cannot go backwards”, the crisis should lead people “to think very differently, to invest differently... and show what the country is possible.”

Obama's new strategy will leave Iraq to be responsible

by Christina Lovato, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

By August 31, 2010 the U.S. combat mission in Iraq will end.

Today at a Press Conference held at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, President Obama addressed his new strategy to end the war in Iraq.

President Obama said that his new strategy would end the war by working on transitioning Iraqis to full responsibility. “To achieve that goal, we will work to promote an Iraqi government that is just, representative, and accountable, and that provides neither support nor safe-haven to terrorists...America’s men and women in uniform, so many of you, fought block by block, province by province, year after year, to give the Iraqis this chance to choose a better future. Now, we must ask the Iraqi people to seize it.”

The first part of Obama’s strategy is to responsibly remove our combat brigades from Iraq. “As we carry out this drawdown, my highest priority will be the safety and security of our troops and civilians in Iraq.” Obama said that once the U.S. has removed combat brigades the next mission is to change from combat to supporting the Iraqi government and its security forces. “As I have long said, we will retain a transitional force to carry out three distinct functions: training, equipping, and advising Iraqi security forces as they remain non sectarian; conducting targeted counter-terrorism missions; and protecting our ongoing civilian and military efforts within Iraq.”

The second part of the strategy is to sustain diplomacy between U.S. and Iraq but Obama stated that since Iraq is a sovereign country, America cannot, and should not, take their place. “Diplomacy and assistance is also required to help the millions of displaced Iraqis. These men, women and children are a living consequence of this war and a challenge to stability in the region, and they must become a part of Iraq’s reconciliation and recovery.”

The third part of the strategy would be to help establish productive and normalized relationships with the Middle East region. “Going forward, the United States will pursue principled and sustained engagement with all of the nations in the region, and that will include Iran and Syria.”

Obama also spoke about working on the United States’ relationship with Iraq as well. “Our nations have known difficult times together. But ours is a bond forged by shared bloodshed, and countless friendships among our people. We Americans have offered our most precious resource, our young men and women, to work with you to rebuild what was destroyed by despotism...The United States pursues no claim on your territory or your resources...Going forward we can build a lasting relationship founded upon mutual interests and mutual respect as Iraq takes its rightful place in the community of nations.”

Obama went on to honor U.S. soldiers for their sacrifice and talked about implementing a 21st century GI Bill, and identifying and treating wounds of the war like post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury that many soldiers endure after. “Your sacrifice should challenge all of us, every single American, to ask what we can do to be better citizens.”

Pentagon PM report

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen briefed the press at the Pentagon. The made a brief opening statement about how May is Military Appreciation Month and then took questions.

Gates stressed that there is no plan to extend the tour of the 3,400 Marines currently in Afghanistan. He said that "no one has suggested even the possibility of extending that rotation and I'd be loath to do that." Mullen followed up that further additions of Marines to Afghanistan are "very much tied to troop levels in Iraq." Gates said that a transition for the Marines from Iraq to Afghanistan "should it occur would be very challenging."

On Myanmar the Secretary said that the Essex Strike Group has been offloading helicopters in Thailand where drops of supplies could be available in Myanmar within hours. The rest of the naval assets in the region have begun to head toward Myanmar in the even that the U.S. military is granted access to give aid. Both the secretary and the admiral stressed that under no circumstances would the U.S. move in without the permission of the Myanmar government. "The tragedy is compounded by the fact that if you look at what our Navy was able to do both with the tsunami and the Pakistani earthquake there is an opportunity here to save a lot of lives and we are fully prepared to help and help right away, it would be a tragedy if these assets, people didn't take advantage of them." Gates emphasized that the U.S. offer to help is totally non-political.

Secretary Gates said that the expulsion of two U.S. military attaches was merely a ti-for-tat response to an earlier expulsion of Russian diplomats from the U.S. for spying. He said that the major aspect of this is reciprocity. Gates, former head of the CIA and a PhD in Russian studies, said that there are intriguing developments coming out of Russia.

There seems to be a steady concern for the size of the force coming from the Department of Defense, especially regarding retention. Gates said that the Defense Department's opposition of the revised GI bill was that education benefits would be made available only after three years of service, instead of six years which is what the DoD would like to see. Gates said that the main concern from troops is the transferability of benefits to a spouse or child and that the Defense Department, in the interest of maintaining a qualified force would like to make these available after at least one reenlistment. Additionally, this concern about retention played out in a question about stop-loss. A higher overall number of military personnel are being stop-lossed now than in 2005. Gates said that stop-loss has been necessary to maintain unit integrity and that one of the main reasons for stop-loss was the 15-month deployments in Iraq. After the brigade combat teams are reduced to 15 in July, Gates said that he expects stop-loss to be reduced in September.

White House Gaggle

Briefer: Dana Perino

President’s Schedule


President Bush had his normal briefings this morning at 8 am. At 8.45 am, he signed HR 4286, Congressional Gold Medal for Aung San Suu Kyi. At 9.45 am, the President will make remarks on the South Lawn commemorating Military Spouses Day. This afternoon at 2.20 pm, President Bush meets with the President of Panama in the Oval office.

White House Press Secretary Dana Perino will brief the press at 12.30 pm today.


Myanmar

When asked if the White House has any doubt that more aid is needed in Myanmar, Perino said that there is no doubt. “There is a need for people to step up and I think the international community is willing to do so.” The White House is hoping that the Burmese military junta will accept help. The US has two navy ships with one disaster assistance response team, DART, who was in the area at the time, doing an exercise on disaster assistance. They have asked to go close to Myanmar in hopes to get to the people on the ground and be able do assessments as well as giving them supplies needed such as clean drinking fresh water.

“When it comes to helping people who are in a desperate humanitarian situation, the President and Mrs. Bush have set the standard of putting aside political differences and getting help to people in need, and that is exactly what we will do here,” Perino said.
When asked about the Burmese junta not allowing US or other aid in, Perino was asked what the source of the US concern is. She said that they have not heard any response after their offers of aid and are especially concerned since they can see the devastation and the death toll is rising.

Panama

Perino was asked if the United States is at all bothered by the President of Panama reaching out to Raul Castro of Cuba, and she said that President Bush will bring up Cuba in their meeting later today. “The President has been someone who understands that there is going to be outreach to people’s neighbors, but we have a different view when it comes to Cuba; but we also think that we have the right view for the policy of the United States,“ Perino said.

GI Bill

Perino was asked why the President is opposed to a new GI bill, and she replied the White House has expressed concerns for some specifics; however, the President is trying to work with Congress to pass a bill that would allow veterans who wants to transfer their unused education benefits to their spouses and children. The White House has some concerns about the Webb amendment but they are willing to work with Congress on it.

Farm Bill

When asked if the veto still stands on the farm bill, Perino said that Congress has been trying to work out their differences and the Administration has been very clear that now is the time for reform. Quoting the President Perino said, “ With farm incomes at an all time high…we should not ask tax payers to pay even more subsidies to millionaire farmers.”
The White House has expressed their concerns and wants to see reform, and Perino said that she knows that Congress has been working hard to get a bill that they President can sign, but if they cannot do that, they should go ahead and pass one year extension or else he would veto the bill.