WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats are using an approximately $100 billion war funding bill to give recently expanded GI Bill education benefits to the children of service members who die while on active duty.
The provision, pressed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Texas, would give GI Bill benefits — which were greatly expanded last year — to each child of a service member killed in action or while on active duty, instead of a single family member as permitted under rules.
Spokespeople for both Pelosi and the House Appropriations Committee said the plan would be included in the war funding bill — despite not having passed either House or Senate during initial consideration of the legislation last month. It would cost $164 million over the next decade.
House-Senate negotiators are putting the finishing touches on the war funding measure in hopes of sending it to President Barack Obama for his signature next week.
Political war
The move lobs a political hand grenade at GOP leaders, who are organizing Republican opposition to the war funding bill, which would also provide $5 billion to cover the risk of default on a $100 billion line of credit for the International Monetary Fund.
Republicans opposing the war funding measure over the IMF provision would invite attacks by Democratic political operatives poised to accuse them of opposing help for the children of service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"They’re playing politics,” said Michael Steele, spokesman for Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.
Edwards said: "No one has sacrificed for our country more than the military child who has lost a parent.”
by the associated press
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