MAY 5, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Mike Livingston, Republican candidate for Congress (2nd District Pa.), today supported passage of a new GI Bill and called for an end to partisan maneuvering on the legislation.

“Today’s veterans, no less than those of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, were there when we needed them most. We should be there for them also,” he said.

While supporting passage of a new GI bill, Livingston noted that there differences between the Webb-Hagel bill, known as the Twenty-First Century GI Bill, and an alternate version introduced by Senator McCain, the likely Republican nominee. He called on both sides to resolve these differences, and was especially critical of Democrats who had tried to score political points during the debate. “The future of our veterans is too important to be left to political gamesmanship,” he added.

The Webb-Hagel bill would increase educational benefits for veterans who served a minimum of three to thirty-six months in the post-9/11 era. The McCain bill contains a different formula for computing benefits, and attempts to reduce the incentive for leaving the military to attend an educational institution. The Second District, in which Livingston is a candidate, contains an unusually high number of veterans and is home of the Philadelphia Veterans Hospital, which serves the entire region.