Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement on the 64th anniversary of the signing of the original GI bill by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. On June 19, 2008, the House passed the GI Bill for the 21st Century and the Senate is expected to take action on the legislation next week:
With the stroke of his pen on June 22, 1944, President Roosevelt honored the service and sacrifice of our WW II soldiers by signing the GI Bill.
As our nation commemorates the 64th anniversary of the original GI Bill, we are committed to ensuring that our next generation of warriors have the tools to succeed when they return home.
The GI Bill for the 21st Century will welcome home our veterans who have served on active duty since September 11, 2001 by providing a full, four-year college education and make them part of a new economic recovery, just as the Greatest Generation was after World War II. Congress will soon deliver this critical legislation to the President's desk and America's heroes are expecting that he will sign it without any delay.
