The issue has bubbled up into the presidential campaign during the past month. While the plan has support from Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the likely Republican candidate, opposes the bill. McCain, a former prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, says the plan could hurt retention in the military, especially among enlisted members who, if they remain in the military, may become noncommissioned officers.
“By hurting retention, we will reduce the numbers of men and women whom we train to become the backbone of all the services: the noncommissioned officer,” McCain said. “Encouraging people not to choose to become noncommissioned officers would hurt the military and our country very badly.”
McCain questioned also whether the bill should provide soldiers with one enlistment the same benefits as those who served more than one tour of duty.
But Democrats are strongly behind the bill. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., a former Navy secretary, is the Senate’s chief sponsor and says the measure would provide long overdue benefits that could help jump-start the U.S. economy. The current GI Bill was a peacetime benefit, he says, and falls far short of the cost of higher education.
Veterans’ groups are also endorsing the measure.
Rather than discourage retention, a stronger GI Bill might increase military recruitment, says Harry Colmery, national commander of the American Legion. “This bill would encourage young men and women to join the military,” he adds.
The House passed the measure by a 256-166 margin, and the plan cleared the Senate by a 75-22 vote. But an aide to Webb says the two versions have slight differences that may require a House/Senate conference committee to produce a final product. Congressional aides were meeting to determine whether a conference committee is necessary for the bill.
The White House has said President Bush may veto the bill in its current form. A statement of policy from the administration says it “could harm retention rates” in the military.
