SCHAKOWSKY REMEMBERS THE FALLEN, SAYS VETERANS DESERVE RESULTS, NOT RHETORIC ON MEMORIAL DAY

WASHINGTON, DC  - US Representative Jan Schakowsky released a statement today calling for a renewed commitment to soldiers and veterans as we pause to remember the fallen.

The full text of Representative Schakowsky's statement is below:

"This Memorial Day, we honor the service of America's soldiers and veterans. Even as we remember the fallen, we must renew our commitment to support our soldiers and veterans."

"As we memorialize those who gave their lives for our country, we think of our soldiers risking their lives today in Iraq and Afghanistan. As the situation in Iraq deteriorates, we should honor our soldiers by beginning to withdraw troops as soon as possible."

"Soldiers, veterans, and their families deserve more than rhetoric on Memorial Day - they deserve results. Just this week, we learned that the Social Security numbers of millions of our veterans were stolen. I have co-sponsored legislation that will allow veterans free access to credit monitoring, so that they will know whether they have been victims of identity theft."

"The President and his friends in Congress have made empty promises to veterans while slashing VA benefits and increasing health care costs. It's time to provide our soldiers with a new GI Bill of Rights that will improve health care benefits and services, end the disabled veterans tax and the military families tax, provide support to homeless veterans, and provide bonuses and special pay for the permanently injured."
"I will continue to fight to provide soldiers, veterans, and their families with the health care and financial support that they deserve for serving our nation."

Representative Schakowsky is a co-sponsor of the following three bills critical to veterans this year:

The New GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century:
Representative Schakowsky is an original co-sponsor of H.R. 2131, the New GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century Act, which would provide improved health car, benefits, and services to veterans and active troops.  The GI Bill would curb the costs of health care and improve benefits for veterans, expand health care to members of the National Guard and Reservists, end the military families tax, enhance education and job training programs for veterans, and provide bonuses and special pay for the permanently injured.  Additionally, it would end the disabled veterans tax, which forces veterans to give up a dollar of retirement pay for each dollar they receive in compensation for a service-connected disability, and the military families tax.
 
The Assured Funding for Veterans' Health Care Act: 
Representative Schakowsky is an original co-sponsor of H.R. 515, the Assured Funding for Veterans' Health Care Act, which would make funding for VA health care mandatory, and ensure that the allocated funding is used solely to proved or support health benefits and services. 

The Veterans' Identity Protection Act:
Representative Schakowsky is an original co-sponsor of H.R. 5455, which would provide one free year of credit monitoring to veterans affected by the Social Security number theft, and then provide additional free credit reports after the monitoring has ended.