Gaurd and Reserve Enhancement Benefits Act

GUARD AND RESERVE ENHANCEMENT BENEFITS ACT -- (Senate - February 01, 2005)

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, this past weekend we witnessed a very important step forward in Iraq, as citizens around the country turned out to vote for a new National Assembly. Many Iraqis appear to have embraced the election and I, as so many others, was encouraged to see millions of them exercise their right to vote. But this past weekend's vote also really pushes to the forefront an important question back here, right here at home, about what we are doing to take care of the thousands of American soldiers who are serving us so honorably in this still very dangerous country.

Just before the elections, several news outlets reported that the Army had decided to keep our troops at their current level in Iraq for at least another 2 years. I have one of those stories here from the Tuesday, January 25, edition of the Washington Post. It is headlined, "Army plans to keep Iraq troop level through '06."

I want to read a portion of that story. It says:

With the Pentagon having relied heavily on reservists to fill out deployments to Iraq, military officers have warned recently that the pool of available part-time soldiers is dwindling. By later this year, when the Army is scheduled to begin its fourth rotation of troops since the invasion in March 2003, all 15 of the National Guard's most readily deployable brigades will have been mobilized.

Although other Guard troops remain and could be tapped for Iraq duty, they belong to units that historically have not received the same priority in equipping and training as the brigades chosen to go in the rotations so far.

"It doesn't mean that the cupboard is bare," Lovelace said. "It just becomes a challenge then for the National Guard."

As the Army reaches farther down in the reserve force, Lovelace said, the amount of "pre-mobilization" time necessary to get the troops ready to send to Iraq is likely to increase.
"We're not going to send anybody into combat who is not trained and ready" the three-star general said. But he noted that already in each rotation, the amount of pre-mobilization time required has increased.

To continue to be able to draw on the better trained reservists, Army officials have said they are considering petitioning Rumsfeld to extend the 24-month limit on the total time a reservist could be caned to active duty.

Madam President, I ask that the full text of the story be printed in the RECORD.

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
[From the Washington Post, Jan. 25, 2005]

Army Plans To Keep Iraq Troop Level Through '06--Year-Long Active-Duty Stints Likely To Continue
(By Bradley Graham)

The U.S. Army expects to keep its troop strength in Iraq at the current level of about 120,000 for at least two more years, according to the Army's top operations officer.

While allowing for the possibility that the levels could decrease or increase depending on security conditions and other factors, Lt. Gen. James J. Lovelace Jr. told reporters yesterday that the assumption of little change through 2006 represents "the most probable case."

Recent disclosures that the Pentagon plans to beef up training of Iraqi security forces and press them into action more quickly has fueled speculation that the Bush administration could be preparing to reduce the number of U.S. troops significantly this year. As more Iraqi troops join the fight, the thinking goes, U.S. troops could begin to withdraw.

But Lovelace's remarks indicated that the Army is not yet counting on any such reduction. Indeed, the general said, the Army expects to continue rotating active-duty units in and out of Iraq in year-long deployments and is looking for ways to dip even deeper into reserve forces-even as leaders ofthe reserves have warned that the Pentagon could be running out of such units.

"We're making the assumption that the level of effort is going to continue," Lovelace said.

In a related development, Senate and House aides said yesterday that the White House will announce today plans to request an additional $80 billion to finance the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. That would come on top of $25 billion already appropriated for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. White House budget spokesman Chad Kolton declined to comment.

White House budget director Joshua B. Bolten is to describe the package to lawmakers today, but the budget request will come later, the aides said. Administration officials have said privately for several weeks that they will seek the additional funding, the result of continuing high costs incurred battling an unexpectedly strong insurgency in Iraq.

Lovelace, who assumed his post of deputy chief of staff for operations in October, spoke to a small group of Pentagon reporters in what had been billed as an informal "meet and greet" session. The conversation quickly focused on the Army's planning for Iraq.

The number of U.S. Army and other forces in Iraq rose to 150,000 last month in what Pentagon officials described as an effort to bolster security ahead of Iraqi elections this weekend.

Lovelace made it clear that the Army's assumption about future U.S. force levels was not meant to prejudge likely trends in either Iraq's security situation or development of its security services. He said the planning is intended to ensure that enough units would be ready if needed and to give U.S. troops a basis on which to organize their own lives.

"It's really about us providing the predictability to our own soldiers," he said. "It has nothing to do with the Iraqi army; it has everything to do with our own institutional agility."

Asked about the Army's assumption, Lawrence T. Di Rita, the Pentagon's main spokesman, said he was "not surprised" to hear that the Army has chosen such a number, noting the need for service leaders to do such planning. "But it's not going to be the Army's determination," he said. "Ultimately, the determination will be made by the commanders" in the field.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's belief, Di Rita added, "is that we will continue to see Iraqi security forces grow in capability. We will continue to see the need for the foreseeable period ahead to have a significant commitment of U.S. assistance as that capability develops. But there isn't anybody who has made any determination about timing or numbers."

Rumsfeld and other senior officials are reviewing recommendations from Army Gen. Gary Luck about measures to accelerate the training and boost the performance of the Iraqi security forces. Luck, who has returned to Washington after visiting Iraq last week, has endorsed plans by field commanders to increase the number of trainers substantially. But this increase is to come by shifting the missions of U.S. troops already assigned to Iraq rather than by deploying more forces, officials said.

"I don't think anyone has a notion that we're talking about forces in addition to what's already out there," Di Rita said. "It's a question of how to use those forces in a different way."

With the Pentagon having relied heavily on reservists to fill out deployments to Iraq, military officers have warned recently that the pool of available part-time soldiers is dwindling. By later this year, when the Army is scheduled to begin its fourth rotation of troops since the invasion in March 2003, all 15 of the National Guard's most readily deployable brigades will have been mobilized.

Although other Guard troops remain and could be tapped for Iraq duty, they belong to units that historically have not received the same priority in equipping and training as the brigades chosen to go in the rotations so far.

"It doesn't mean that the cupboard is bare," Lovelace said. "It just becomes a challenge then for the National Guard."

As the Army reaches farther down in the reserve force, Lovelace said, the amount of "pre-mobilization" time necessary to get the troops ready to send to Iraq is likely to increase.

"We're not going to send anybody into combat who is not trained and ready," the three-star general said. But he noted that already in each rotation, the amount of pre-mobilization time required has increased.

To continue to be able to draw on the better trained reservists, Army officials have said they are considering petitioning Rumsfeld to extend the 24-month limit on the total time a reservist could be called to active duty.

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, the effect of that policy is very clear. It means longer deployments, more time away from home, and a further strain on our entire military.

It is no secret that some of our soldiers are hit especially hard by this news. I am talking, of course, about our Guard and Reserve soldiers who have already faced extended deployments and long stretches away from their jobs, away from their homes, away from their families. We honor all of our troops serving overseas, but I am very concerned that these Guard and Reserve soldiers are not receiving some basic services and help that they have earned-basic services and help they most certainly deserve.

Last week I reintroduced legislation to increase services and benefits to members of the National Guard and Reserves when they are called to active duty. I offered this Guard and Reserve Enhancement Benefits Act last year to expand health care, education, financial benefits, and family assistance to help ease the burden on our Guard members and their families.

We made some progress in the Senate last year, but those important provisions were never signed into law. Now, in this new Congress, we have another opportunity to provide for our Guard men and women, our reservists, and all their families. This coincides with the introduction of S. 11, the first Democratic bill for this Congress. It is the first Democratic bill of this Congress to help increase protections for our troops and Reserve members.

Thousands of citizen soldiers from across my home State of Washington have been called to active duty over the past 2 years. These very brave men and women and their families deserve the same support that other military units receive when they sacrifice to serve our country. My bill tells Guard and Reserve members across America that we are committed to providing them and their families with the health, financial, and social support services necessary to get through this difficult time.

According to the Pentagon, 239,000 National Guard members have been called to active duty. Currently, 192,500 Guard and Reserve members are serving on active duty as part of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Thousands of Washington State Guard members have been activated over the past 2 years. This is the largest activation since World War II.

Hundreds of Washington State reservists have also been activated, and 150 local Marine Corps reservists will soon be deployed to Iraq as part of the Yakima-based Bravo Company 4th Tank Battalion. That is why this legislation is so important at this time.

As many other Members, I have sat and talked to our reservists as they have been called up, and I have talked with their families who have been left behind. It is critical that we provide the support and services they need so they can do this important job that this country has asked them to do.

My legislation would begin by extending the current Family and Medical Leave Act protections to the spouses of guardsmen and reservists called to extended active duty. This is really important. The families who are left behind are struggling as single parents to try to raise their family. They should not have to worry about losing their jobs and their income when their loved one is sent overseas. So the first part of our bill simply extends the Family and Medical Leave Act protections so these spouses who are left behind can take care of the issues they need to take care of as their spouse is called overseas.

Second, it provides childcare assistance grants to parents or guardians of dependents of guardsmen and Reservists called to active duty. This is really important. Most of these Guard and Reserve members are not on a base, so they don't have access to childcare facilities that Regular Army and other people have on the base. They are out in our communities, across my State and across this country.

So child care is especially important to them when their spouses are sent overseas and they are left with how to deal with child care-an issue that is always critical to families.

It becomes extremely critical when you lose half of your family, when they go to a place that can't help with child care. Childcare assistance grants are an important part of our package.

My bill also expands the GI bill for members of the Guard and Reserves who are called to active duty for 12 consecutive months or 24 months out of a 60-month period.

This is something that is really important. When we send these men and women overseas to serve, they should have access to the GI bill when they return so they can enhance their own lives and get a job and be productive members of our society.

Next, our bill provides relief from interest and defers payments of unsubsidized student loans.

I met with Reserve members before they left. Many of them were students or were just finishing college, and they were extremely worried about how they were going to pay their student loans while they were deployed, or when they returned before they would be able to get back into the job market and have a steady income. We put special help in our bill for these men and women who serve us by providing relief from interest and defer payments of unsubsidized student loans so they can get their lives back together when they return before they start to pay back their obligation.

Next, our bill requires any college receiving Federal funds to offer students returning from active-duty service readmission without penalty or additional fees.

You can imagine, if you are in college attending classes and you are called up to serve your country as a member of the Guard and Reserve, you are concerned that when you return you will not be able to get back into that school and finish the college degree that you started. Our bill provides assurance to these students who have been called up that they will be readmitted into any college that receives Federal funds, so they will know when they return that they can continue their lives.

Next, we reduce the age for members of the Guard and Reserve to receive retirement pay. This is a critical issue for many of our Guard and Reserve families who face extreme hardship as their family member serves overseas. We want to make sure they can receive retirement pay at an age that benefits them.

Next, our bill requires the Federal Government to cover the pay differential for Federal employees who are called to active duty. When I talked to these Guard and Reserve family members, they were worried about how they were going to make sure their families would be able to pay the mortgage on their home, or how they were going to pay their school costs and put food on the table because of the reduced pay from the Government.

This bill will make sure the Federal Government that is calling these members up to serve pays the differential for our Federal employees so they do not lose income while they serve this country overseas.

Next, our bill allows employers to claim up to $15,000 in tax credits for the pay deferential of Guard and Reserve members. Across this country and in my home State, we have many businesses that have employees who have been called up to go overseas and serve their country. It is especially difficult for small businesses that lose their employees for 6 months, for 12 months, or longer. And this bill provides a tax credit to help them make up the pay of those employees when they go overseas.

Finally, our bill makes access to TRICARE permanent for all members of the Guard and Reserve and their families, regardless of employment or insurance status. This is an extremely important provision of this bill.

I think probably the No. 1 issue I heard from these families as I talked to them was, What do I need to do about our health care? We had our health care under a member who has been called to serve overseas. When we lose that, how do we transition? What do we do about a sick child with ongoing illnesses and family members with health care challenges? How do we get through this?

I think it is important that this year we enact into legislation assurance for the family members of those who serve overseas that their family left behind will have access to TRICARE and health care.

Tours of duty are being extended and new units are being deployed. I believe we have an obligation to ease the burden for these Guard and Reserve families.

Supporting our troops means more than just passing multibillion-dollar supplemental appropriations bills whenever the President asks. Supporting our troops must also mean that we look after the soldier and his family's well-being back at home. It means ensuring they get quality education, it means ensuring they get good health care, and it means access to a job, and childcare for their families.

I have spoken many times on this floor and in every corner of my State about the need to take care of our troops. Oftentimes, that means supplementing our floundering veterans care system. I talked about it on the floor extensively last week.

But with this legislation I am talking about today, we have an opportunity to provide help where it is needed now-help for the thousands of heroes and their families who are dedicating their lives to all of us by serving us around the globe.

I hope my colleagues will support our efforts. I look forward to working with anyone who will help move this legislation this year.

Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.

http://thomas.loc.gov