Topics in the News: Veterans
Marco Rubio on Education
: Feb 12, 2013
Give info to students on costs & benefits of student loans
Because tuition costs have grown so fast, we need to change the way we pay for higher education. I believe in federal financial aid. I couldn't have gone to college without it. But it's not just about spending more money on these programs; it's also
about strengthening and modernizing them.A 21st century workforce should not be forced to accept 20th century education solutions. Today's students aren't only 18 year olds. They're returning veterans. They're single parents who decide to get the
education they need to earn a decent wage. We need student aid that does not discriminate against programs that non-traditional students rely on--like online courses, or degree programs that give you credit for work experience.
When I finished school,
I owed over $100,000 in student loans, a debt I paid off just a few months ago. Today, many graduates face massive student debt. We must give students more information on the costs and benefits of the student loans they're taking out.
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Source: GOP Response to 2013 State of the Union Address
Barack Obama on Budget & Economy
: Oct 22, 2012
After 10 years of war, it's time for nation-building at home
After a decade of war, it's time to do some nation-building here at home. And what we can now do is free up some resources to, for example, put Americans back to work, especially our veterans, rebuilding our roads, our bridges, our schools, making sure
that, you know, our veterans are getting the care that they need when it comes to post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, making sure that the certifications that they need for good jobs of the future are in place.
The first lady has done great work with an organization called Joining Forces putting our veterans back to work. And as a consequence, veterans' unemployment is actually now lower than general population, it was higher when I came into office.
So those are the kinds of thtwings that we can now do because we're making that transition in Afghanistan.
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Source: Third Obama-Romney 2012 Presidential debate
Barack Obama on Principles & Values
: Oct 16, 2012
Romney thinks 47% consider themselves victims, I disagree
I believe Romney is a good man. Loves his family, cares about his faith. But I also believe that when he said behind closed doors that 47% of the country considered themselves victims who refuse personal responsibility, think about who he was talking
about. Folks on Social Security who've worked all their lives. Veterans who've sacrificed for this country. Students who are out there trying to hopefully advance their own dreams, but also this country's dreams. Soldiers who are overseas fighting for us
right now. People who are working hard every day, paying payroll tax, gas taxes, but don't make enough income. I want to fight for them. That's what I've been doing for the last four years. Because if they succeed, the country succeeds. When my
grandfather fought in WWII, he came back and got a GI Bill and that allowed him to go to college--that wasn't a handout. That was something that advanced the entire country. I want to make sure that the next generation has those same opportunities.
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Source: Second Obama-Romney 2012 Presidential debate
Barack Obama on Tax Reform
: Oct 16, 2012
It's unfair for a nurse to pay a higher tax rate than Romney
Romney was asked: Is it fair for somebody like you, making $20 million a year, to pay a lower tax rate than a nurse or a bus driver, making $50,000 year? He said, "Yes, I think that's fair." Not only that, "I think that's what grows the economy." I think
what grows the economy is when you get that tax credit that we put in place for your kids going to college. I think what grows the economy is when we make sure small businesses are getting a tax credit for hiring veterans who fought for our country.
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Source: Second Obama-Romney 2012 debate
Joe Biden on Corporations
: Oct 11, 2012
Same rules for Wall Street as for Main Street
BIDEN: Governor Romney said 47% of the American people are unwilling to take responsibility for their own lives. These people are my mom and dad, the people I grew up with, my neighbors. They are elderly people who in fact are living off of
Social Security. They are veterans and people fighting in Afghanistan right now who are "not paying any taxes." I've had it up to here with this notion that 47%--it's about time they take some responsibility here. And instead of signing pledges to
Grover Norquist not to ask the wealthiest among us to contribute to bring back the middle class, they should be signing a pledge saying to the middle class, we're going to level the playing field. We're going to give you a fair shot again.
We are going to not repeat the mistakes we made in the past by having a different set of rules for Wall Street and Main Street, making sure that we continue to hemorrhage these tax cuts for the superwealthy.
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Source: 2012 Vice Presidential debate
Joe Biden on Homeland Security
: Oct 11, 2012
Caring for veterans is our only sacred obligation
BIDEN: We only have one truly sacred obligation as a government. That's to equip those we send into harm's way and care for those who come home. That's the only sacred obligation we have.
Everything else falls behind that. [Veterans] should be honored; not be thrown into a category of the 47% who don't pay their taxes.
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Source: 2012 Vice Presidential debate
Paul Ryan on Homeland Security
: Aug 11, 2012
More funding for veterans
I will continue to advocate on behalf of our veterans, which I believe is one of the most important responsibilities of the federal government. With increased funding for mental health facilities and increased health care access for veterans living in
rural areas, I am pleased the House was able to make significant progress in securing veterans' health benefits. Much work remains, and I remain committed to our veterans.
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Source: 2012 House campaign website, ryanforcongress.com, "Issues"
Barack Obama on Free Trade
: Jun 14, 2012
Skeptical on whether China feels bound by global trade rules
Obama was skeptical about the degree to which China felt bound by the rules of the global trading system in general and the rules of the World Trade Organization in particular.
Obama made it plain to veterans of the Clinton administration that he felt they had allowed China to enter into the World Trade Organization under terms that weren't tight enough--
thus allowing China to become a trading giant and leaving Obama with too little leverage when China flouted the trading rules.
There was also a certain Asian quality to the president's negotiations with China. "They push and push and push until you say no," Obama told those around him. "And then they stop pushing."
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Source: The Obamians, by James Mann, p.179-180
Virgil Goode on Budget & Economy
: Apr 21, 2012
Balance the budget now, not in 10 years, by cutting agencies
It is incumbent on our next President to propose a balanced budget upon taking office and not ten years down the road. There will be pain, but the old saying that one will not get out of the hole by digging the hole deeper is accurate. Nearly every
department and agency will face significant cuts and some will face elimination. Veterans benefits is an example that will not be cut. Examples of programs eliminated include the National Endowment for the Arts, No Child Left Behind, etc.
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Source: 2012 presidential campaign website goodeforpresident2012.com
Virgil Goode on Homeland Security
: Apr 21, 2012
Cut defense spending, but not veterans benefits
I support funding for veterans' health care and providing health care benefits to all veterans. We also need to insure that the Veteran's Administration works with and on behalf of our veterans.Nearly every department and agency will face significant
cuts and some will face elimination. Veterans benefits will not be cut.
We need a strong national defense. However, reckless federal spending which has given us a deficit in excess of one trillion dollars necessitates cutting defense spending.
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Source: 2012 presidential campaign website goodeforpresident2012.com
Ron Paul on Jobs
: Jan 19, 2012
FactCheck: Feds paid for 8M WWII vets to attend college
Rep. Ron Paul said, "After World War II, we had 10 million came home. But everybody went back to work again and you didn't need any special programs." Newt Gingrich cited the GI Bill, so we checked.After WWII, the GI Bill let vets attend college on
federal funds. According to the GI Bill website run by the Veterans Administration, "Thanks to the GI Bill, millions who would have flooded the job market instead opted for education. By the time the GI Bill ended in 1956, 7.8 million of 16 million
WWII veterans had participated in an education or training program." That directly contradicts Rep. Paul's implication: while the overall budget was cut after WWII, federal spending on the GI Bill increased (there were numerous other GI programs too,
such as 2.4 million home loan guarantees to veterans). It is simply untrue that "everybody went back to work": 49% of all WWII vets went to college on a federal subsidy, which also means it's simply untrue that we "didn't need any special programs."
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Source: OnTheIssues FactCheck on South Carolina 2012 GOP debate
Mitt Romney on Principles & Values
: Jan 17, 2012
1994: donated milk for years to Shelter for Homeless Vets
In 1994, Romney courted voters at the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans. After giving his pitch, Romney asked the center's director, Ken Smith, what his biggest problem was. Smith said that the high price of milk was killing their budget. And
they went through a lot of milk, some 1,000 pints a day. Romney attempted a joke: why don't you just teach the veteran's how to milk cows? Then he was out the door. Smith was stunned.But several days later, Smith got a phone call from Romney, who told
Smith he wanted to cover part of the shelter's milk costs, and he didn't want any publicity for it. Smith didn't know exactly how Romney had done it--he figured Romney had arranged something with one of the shelter's milk suppliers. But now, instead of
paying for 1,000 pints a day, the shelter was paying for just 500. And it wasn't just some political stratagem. "It happened for a long period of time." Smith said he understood that Romney was still supporting the shelter when Smith left in 1996.
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Source: The Real Romney, by Kranish & Helman, p.189-190
Barack Obama on Corporations
: Sep 8, 2011
$4,000 tax credit for companies who hire unemployed workers
The purpose of the American Jobs Act is simple: to put more people back to work and more money in the pockets of those who are working. It will create more jobs for construction workers, more jobs for teachers, more jobs for veterans, and more jobs
for the long-term unemployed. It will provide a tax break for companies who hire new workers, and it will cut payroll taxes in half for every working American and every small business. It will provide a jolt to an economy that has stalled, and give
companies confidence that if they invest and hire, there will be customers for their products and services. You should pass this jobs plan right away. Pass this jobs bill, and starting tomorrow, small businesses will get a tax cut if they hire new
workers or raise workers' wages. Pass this jobs bill, and companies will get a $4,000 tax credit if they hire anyone who has spent more than six months looking for a job. We have to do more to help the long-term unemployed in their search for work.
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Source: Pres. Obama's 2011 Jobs Speech
Barack Obama on Budget & Economy
: Sep 26, 2008
Spending freeze is like a hatchet where you need a scalpel
Q: In the middle of a huge financial crisis that is yet to be resolved, how this is going to affect you not in small ways, but in major ways, and the approach you would take to the presidency.
McCAIN: How about a spending freeze on everything but Defense, Veterans Affairs and entitlement programs? We ought to seriously consider, with the exceptions of caring for our veterans, national defense and several other vital issues.
OBAMA: The problem with a spending freeze is you’re using a hatchet where you need a scalpel. There are some programs that are very important that are currently underfunded. I want to increase early childhood education.
We’re currently spending $10 billion a month in Iraq when they have a $79 billion surplus. It seems to me that if we’re going to be strong at home as well as strong abroad, that we’ve got to look at bringing that war to a close.
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Source: 2008 first presidential debate, Obama vs. McCain
Barack Obama on Principles & Values
: Aug 27, 2008
We’re more decent & compassionate than last 8 years
America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this. This country is more decent than one where a woman in Ohio, on the brink of retirement, finds herself one illness away from disaster after a lifetime of hard work. Thi
country is more generous than one where a man in Indiana has to pack up the equipment he’s worked on for twenty years and watch it shipped off to China. We are more compassionate than a government that lets veterans sleep on our streets and families slid
into poverty; that sits on its hands while a major American city drowns before our eyes. To the American people across this great land: Enough! This moment, this election--is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive. The same
party that brought you two terms of Bush and Cheney will ask this country for a third. And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look like the last eight. On November 4th, we must stand up and say: “Eight is enough.
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Source: Speech at 2008 Democratic National Convention
Barack Obama on Homeland Security
: Feb 21, 2008
Unacceptable to have veterans drive 250 miles to a hospital
The incredible burden that has been placed on the American people, starting with military families, and the fact that we still are not doing right by our veterans, that we still don’t honor their service, that there are still homeless veterans, that we
still don’t screen properly for post-traumatic stress disorder and make sure that they’re getting mental services that they need, that we are still having veterans in south Texas have to drive 250 miles to access a veterans hospital. That’s unacceptable.
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Source: 2008 Democratic debate at University of Texas in Austin
Barack Obama on Homeland Security
: Feb 2, 2008
Improve veterans’ mental health treatment & PTSD benefits
AT A GLANCE- Improved Mental Health Treatment: Obama will improve mental health treatment for troops and veterans suffering from combat-related psychological injuries.
THE PROBLEM- There is a Shortage of Care for
PTSD: Veterans are coming home with record levels of combat stress, but we are not adequately providing for them.
OBAMA’S PLAN- Improve Mental Health Treatment: Obama will improve mental health care at every stage of military
service. He will recruit more health professionals, improve screening, offer more support to families and make PTSD benefits claims fairer.
OBAMA RECORD- Obama led a bipartisan effort in the Senate to try to halt the military’s
unfair practice of discharging service members for having a service-connected psychological injury.
- Obama passed legislation to stop a VA review of closed PTSD cases that could have led to a reduction in veterans’ benefits.
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Source: Campaign booklet, “Blueprint for Change”, p. 56-57
Hillary Clinton on Homeland Security
: Jan 15, 2008
Passed legislation to treat veterans’ traumatic brain injury
We have to do everything necessary to help returning veterans get the health care and the support that they need. This new signature wound called traumatic brain injury is something that I am really upset about, because we’ve only begun to recognize
it and diagnose it. I was able to pass legislation to begin to provide the physical and mental evaluations so we could treat this. They’re now getting these exams because we’ve got to track what happens to the veterans and provide the services for them.
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Source: 2008 Democratic debate in Las Vegas
Hillary Clinton on Health Care
: Sep 13, 2007
A plan is necessary; but consensus is more necessary
Q: You have been involved with health care for a long time. Because of your long involvement, you should have been first out of the gate on health care.A: Well, I’ve been at the gate and out of it for 14 years, and you know when we weren’t successful
with the overall reform, I moved ahead and was one of the people responsible for the children’s health-insurance program and trying to make sure drugs were safe for kids, and dealing with aftereffects the Gulf War veterans suffered.
So, I’ve stayed consistently focused on health care and am engaged right now in this battle with the president over his threatened veto of the children’s health-insurance program. But I learned, among other things, that we’ve got to build a consensus.
A plan is necessary but not sufficient. We’ve got to have a political consensus in order to withstand the enormous opposition from those interests that will have something to lose in a really reformed health-care system.
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Source: Huffington Post Mash-Up: 2007 Democratic on-line debate
Barack Obama on Homeland Security
: Aug 26, 2007
Support veterans via the Dignity for Wounded Warriors Act
Following reports of neglect at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Obama introduced the Dignity for Wounded Warriors Act. The bill improves the condition of troop housing, streamlines the process for seeking care, provides greater information to recovering
servicemembers, requires the hiring of more caseworkers, and provides more support to family members who care for injured troops:- Sheltering and Rehabilitating Homeless Veterans
One in three homeless males is a veteran. -
Fighting for Disability Benefits
Obama forced the VA to notify veterans about their right to review past claims. - Treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) & Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Easing the Transition of
Veterans into Civilian Life
Obama’s legislation would require that the military provide new veterans with electronic medical and service records & monitor health trends.
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Source: 2008 Presidential campaign website, BarackObama.com “Flyers”
Joe Biden on Homeland Security
: Aug 9, 2007
Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is antiquated & unworkable
Q: Would you support a repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy which would allow gay, lesbian, and bisexual soldiers the right to serve openly in the military?A: Sen. Biden supports ending the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. It is antiquated and
unworkable. According to recent polls, 3/4 of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan said that they had no problem serving with openly gay people. 24 of the nations serving alongside US forces in Iraq permit open service which has had no negative
impact on these forces or the morale of our brave soldiers. Finally, the US does not have enough troops to fulfill our current missions--it is ridiculous to turn away brave and patriotic Americans who volunteer to serve solely because of their sexual
orientation--especially in light of the Defense Department’s recent decision to extend tours of duty in Iraq. Sen. Biden believes that we should treat everyone serving in the military by the same standards regardless of orientation.
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Source: 2007 HRC/LOGO debate--written questionnaire
Barack Obama on Homeland Security
: Jun 3, 2007
Address the deficiencies in the VA system
We don’t have a full-service VA system, so a lot of troops that have been injured are having to travel elsewhere, and that’s something that we have to address. There are important efficiencies that we can obtain by having a VA hospital system; for
example, prescription drugs. But we have to have a VA that serves everybody. In some rural communities that the veterans don’t have access to the services needed, we’ve got to make sure that they do have the option for a private hospital that is close by
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Source: 2007 Dem. debate at Saint Anselm College
Barack Obama on Homeland Security
: Jun 3, 2007
Make sure the outpatient facilities work for veterans
I visited Walter Reed repeatedly. Typically what would happen is we would go to visit troops in the medical facility, and people will acknowledge that the medical facility at Walter Reed does great work. Unfortunately, it turned out that the outpatient
facilities were disastrous. That’s why we now have legislation to make sure not only that we’re just painting over some of the mold in there, but also making it easier for families & veterans to negotiate the system once they’re outpatients.
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Source: 2007 Dem. debate at Saint Anselm College
Barack Obama on War & Peace
: Jun 3, 2007
Spending on the Cold War relics should be for the veterans
Keep in mind that there is a difference between the Pentagon budget and the size of the military. So it may be that, for example, there are weapon systems that are outmoded relics of the Cold War; but what
I want to make certain of is, is that our troops are not going on these repeated tours, lengthy tours, that we are providing them with all the support they need when they’re on the ground. And we can’t do that currently.
When they come home we are treating them with the dignity and honor that they deserve. Whether you were for the war or against the war, we can all agree to, and the Bush administration has not done that because they tried to do it on the cheap.
Folks who have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, folks who have disability payments that are due are not getting the kinds of services they deserve. I have some specific plans to address that.
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Source: 2007 Dem. debate at Saint Anselm College
Barack Obama on Homeland Security
: Mar 27, 2007
America must practice the patriotism it preaches
I think it is unconscionable for us to stand by our troops and hoist the flag and suggest how patriotic we are at the same time as the veterans’ budget is being effectively cut.I’m going to monitor very closely how we are treating 100,000+ veterans wh
are coming home, to make sure the VA has the capacity to provide transition services for veterans who are leaving the service and reentering civilian life--particularly the National Guardsman and Reservists who did not expect to be fighting in Iraq.
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Source: In His Own Words, edited by Lisa Rogak, p.155
Barack Obama on Homeland Security
: Mar 14, 2007
Comprehensive plan for our veterans healthcare
Washington says that they support the troops. They give long speeches about valor and sacrifice. But when it comes time to sending our troops into battle with the proper equipment and ensure that veterans have what they need when they get home, they
don’t do anything except slap a yellow ribbon on the back of their SUV. That’s how come our men and women have to use scrap metal to protect their Humvees.Our veterans end up living among mice and mold. They stare at stacks of paperwork. They thought
they left the frontline in Iraq but they came home to a new frontline of red tape and bureaucracy.
This is unacceptable. When our veterans come home, I don’t want them crawling around a dumpster for a meal or a box for shelter. I don’t want them
drowning in whiskey to silence the PTSD. I don’t want that for our veterans. We know they deserve more.
So let’s make a promise today--and say that, right here and right now, is when we begin to put together a comprehensive plan for our veterans.
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Source: 2007 IAFF Presidential Forum in Washington DC
Hillary Clinton on Social Security
: Sep 25, 1996
Respect unique power of government to meet social needs
Competing visions of the role of government and the rights of individuals exist all along the political spectrum. Most of us hold a point of view that exists somewhere between the extremes. We may grumble about taxes, but we generally support programs
like veterans’ benefits, Social Security, and Medicare, along with public education, environmental protection, and some sort of social safety net for the poor. We are wary of government interference with private initiative or personal belief and the
excessive influence of special interests on the political system. We respect the unique power of government to meet certain social needs and acknowledge the need to limit its powers.In times of profound social change like the present, extreme views
hold out the appeal of simplicity. By ignoring the complexity of the forces that shape our personal and collective circumstances, they offer us scapegoats. Yet they fail to provide a viable pathway from the cold war to the global village.
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Source: It Takes A Village, by Hillary Clinton, p.286
Page last updated: Apr 30, 2013