Honor our veterans by finishing the job

There can be no question that the chairmen, ranking members and other members of the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs committees are committed to veterans.

They and their staff work day in and day out to draw up, refine, push and pass legislation to improve the lives and livelihoods of veterans and their families. But as we approach the end of the year, and with Veterans Day upon us, Congress can honor veterans by taking up and passing the outstanding priority legislation that veterans’ advocates and supporters agree needs to be enacted this year.

{mosads}The recent government shutdown poignantly demonstrated the need for advance funding for all Department of Veterans Affairs discretionary accounts and mandatory payment obligations.

The Putting Veterans Funding First Act, which would do precisely this, enjoys wide bipartisan support in an otherwise viciously divided House and only needs the Republican leadership in the chamber to schedule floor time for the bill. In the Senate, the bill still needs to be ushered through markup in committee and then quickly taken up on the floor by the Democratic leaders of that chamber.

Also high on the veterans’ agenda, and in need of floor time in both chambers, is the GI Bill Tuition Fairness Act.

This bill would enable veterans attending college on the GI Bill to receive in-state tuition rates at public institutions, thereby fulfilling our nation’s commitment to provide an affordable education benefit without uprooting veterans and their families after they leave the military. This is another piece of legislation that enjoys wide bipartisan support, and it should be enacted before Congress adjourns.

In addition to these top policy priorities, additional legislative packages have been passed by each Veterans’ Affairs Committee that also need to be taken up on the floor of both chambers within the coming weeks.

Moving on this legislation quickly is how Congress can truly honor veterans. Failing to do so would be defaulting on our commitment to America’s finest, and we all will hold Congress accountable if that happens.

Nicholson is the legislative director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.