CULVER PLAN FOR IOWA'S VETERANS

The transition for service members returning from active duty to civilian life can be a difficult one. In a Culver administration, steps will be taken to help ease this transition. These include:

• Strengthening our welcome home program for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan : The existing Enduring Freedom Support Groups should be expanded and made permanent to assist veterans with their transition. We will have the goal of identifying, screening, training, placing and monitoring volunteer ambassadors to assist returning veterans, their families and their survivors to access veterans-related and community resources. We will focus on employment, education and mental health services available in the community. Local governments, civic organizations, and businesses will be encouraged to provide new veterans with welcome home services and assistance.
  
  
• Assisting Veterans with Skills Training and Job Placement: With a focus on skills training and job placement, we should expand the existing Helmets to Hard Hats program to ease the job transition for returning veterans. Iowa ’s community colleges will develop and expand existing programs to help veterans get the skills they need to reintegrate into the Iowa economy upon their return. Returning veterans whose jobs have not been held open would be qualified for up to $10,000 over 24 months for classes or vocational training at an Iowa community college.
  
  
• End the Patriot Penalty: Iowa National Guard Members, reservists, and their families are often placed under significant financial distress by long deployments. In a Culver administration, if a member of the Iowa National Guard or reserves is deployed longer than 18 months, the state will provide them with a direct payment for the rest of their deployment that makes up a significant portion of the difference between their civilian salary and their military salary.

NUSSLE’S RHETORIC DOESN’T MATCH RECORD:

While Congressman Nussle continues to say great things about veterans when campaigning in Iowa , his votes to continually cut veterans funding in Washington , DC tell a different story. Look at the facts:

• FACT: In May 2006, Nussle voted to allow $507 million to be stripped from veterans’ programs. [Vote #174; 5/19/06]
  
  
• FACT: In May 2006, Nussle voted against a bill that would have ended the Military Families Tax. The Military Families Tax penalizes more than 50,000 survivors in military families, most of whom are widows. [Vote #144, 5/11/06]
  
  
• FACT: In June 2005, Nussle voted against an amendment that would provide $1 billion for veterans’ health care for FY 2005, the amount of the shortfall in funding for veterans’ health care. [Vote #325, 6/28/05]
  
  
• FACT: In May 2005, Nussle voted against a motion to expand access to the military’s TRICARE health insurance program to thousands of reservist and National Guard members. [Vote #221, 5/25/05]
  
  
• FACT: In March 2003, Nussle voted against a motion to fund full disability and retirement benefits for all of the nation’s veterans. [Vote #616; 11/7/03]

ONE BIG QUESTION NUSSLE NEEDS TO ANSWER:

In Washington, Nussle and the Republican leadership are allowed to rack up hundreds and billions of dollars in deficits. Here in Iowa , the law requires us to balance our budgets. Nussle said he would pay for his expensive education “plan” by, “shifting stuff around.”

QUESTION: Is Rep. Nussle going to pay for his veterans plan by shifting MORE stuff around?