Lincoln Diaz-Balart Votes Against GI Bill

May 19, 2008 - On Thursday Lincoln Diaz-Balart voted against a bi-partisan GI Bill (HR 2642), voting against our brave men and women who have made the terrific sacrifice of serving in the armed forces during a time of war.
Instead of honoring their sacrifice, Lincoln Diaz-Balart voted with the Bush administration again and did so blindly.

32 Republicans joined Democrats in honoring the service of our troops. Among the supporting Republicans was none other than Ileana Ros–Lehtinen, the parent of a member of the United States armed forces.

The new GI Bill essentially would guarantee a full scholarship at any in-state public university, along with a monthly housing stipend, for anyone who serves in the military for at least three years. It is aimed at replicating the benefits awarded veterans of World War II and would cost $52 billion over 10 years.

• The Bill also provided for veterans returning from war who are dealing with post traumatic stress disorder

• Veterans in need of prosthetic limbs

• Funding for cemeteries and burials for fallen soldiers

“ Lincoln has failed our veterans again.  He has shown again that he is willing to send our brave young men in women off to war and ask them to die for a war without end but he is not willing to help them when they return home from the battlefield,” stated Mayor Raul Martinez“.  “Lincoln has refused to criticize the war in Iraq, it’s lack of planning or the treatment of our veterans once they return home.  He is simply a rubber stamp for a failed president and his hurtful policies.”

The vote on the GI Bill came amid a hectic series of votes Thursday, during which the House killed legislation to continue funding the Iraq war — legislation that the Senate is sure to revive in the coming week.