McCain, GOP Colleagues Unveil GI Bill Overhaul

By Daniel W. Reilly

(The Politico)  Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and several of his GOP colleagues unveiled their own overhaul of the Montgomery GI Bill on Tuesday, as pressure mounted on McCain to address the issue of education benefits for returning soldiers.

The bill, co-sponsored by McCain, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), would increase the monthly education benefit for active duty and reserve personnel and would allow career military personnel to transfer education benefits to their children.

A Navy veteran and the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services committee, McCain has made his military service the centerpiece of his campaign for the White House.

“We have an obligation to provide unwavering support to our nation’s veterans, and that is precisely what this legislation does,” said McCain in a statement.

McCain was on the campaign trail Tuesday and did not attend a press conference unveiling the bill on Capitol Hill.

The pressure had been mounting on McCain to sign on to an overhaul of the GI Bill authored by fellow Vietnam veterans Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) and Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.). The Webb-Hagel proposal would fully cover tuition at a state university for returning war veterans.
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