Testimonies

Call to Action to Senate Democratic Leadership

On Wednesday, July 21, 2010 IAVA Executive Director and Founder Paul Rieckhoff addressed the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee:

Thank you for inviting IAVA to speak today on behalf of our 180,000 members and supporters. 

Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are America’s next greatest generation. They should be focused on leading America. But unfortunately, right now, too many are worried about finding a job.

Over the past six months the unemployment rate for new veterans was 12.5%.  This is significantly higher than the civilian rate. 

In the military, these veterans were responsible for managing the day-to-day lives of their squads, platoons and companies. They were accountable for hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of Uncle Sam’s equipment, and they made life and death decisions seven days a week.  They are now sitting at home searching monster.com and usajobs.gov, only to be told they are unqualified and unskilled. 

Too many have told us that being unemployed, worrying about paying the rent and feeding their family, is scarier than patrolling the mountains of Afghanistan. 

There is no reason why our veterans should have these worries. But a good job is not just a benefit of their service. Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan can be America’s most valuable stimulus. And they can lead the economy back from the brink.  A comprehensive veterans employment and training bill will do just that.  

IAVA is proud to have lead the fight with Senators Baucus and Murray to introduce excellent veterans jobs bills, which have strong support in both houses and on both sides of the aisle. Before the end of this Congress, we need your strong leadership to pass an aggressive veterans’ employment bill, built on Senator Baucus and Murray’s bills. 

Thankfully, we are not starting from scratch in building the next greatest generation.  Congress had the foresight to invest in the future of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans when they passed the Post-9/11 GI Bill two years ago. Now over a quarter of a million veterans have bypassed the rough economy, working on their educations, making them more valuable in the workplace. 

Everyone in this room should be proud of the work we didto make the new GI Bill a reality, but our work is not done. Tens of thousands of veterans were left behind when the new GI Bill was implemented. These folks are some of the hardest hit by the rough economy. 

Veterans like Charles Conrad, who recently returned home from his second combat tour, are concerned that they don’t have the skills necessary to find a job in this brutal economy. Released from his stop loss orders, Charles moved to Pittsburg to attend the Pennsylvania Gunsmith School. He figured that by combining his military experience with a vocational certificate he would able to secure meaningful employment. Unfortunately for Charles, the new GI Bill does not pay for training at vocational schools, a fact he did not know until after he enrolled. Now he is struggling to pay his tuition and is even more worried about how he will support himself.

Charles is not alone. National Guardsmen, feverishly filling sand bags in Louisiana to protect our shores from BP’s oil right now, are not receiving hard-earned GI Bill credit for their service. They too are being left out.

We must pass a comprehensive upgrade to the new GI Bill to ensure all veterans have access to this generous new benefit. IAVA challenges Congress to pass Senator Akaka’s New GI Bill 2.0 before you head home in October. 

An upgrade to the historic New GI bill and a comprehensive employment package will send a clear message to Charles, the guardsmen in the gulf, and all men and women who have worn the uniform that this congress has their back. Thank you for your time and support.