IAVA Daily Brief 02.24.09

IAVA Daily Brief 02.24.09
Posted by Michelle McCarthy [1] on February 24 [2] 2009

Here are some of today's top stories and happenings at IAVA. MUST READS (1)   GI Bill could mean uneven scholarships [3]   Preliminary tuition reimbursement figures released by the Department of Veterans Affairs are creating widespread confusion for veterans looking to attend college on the Post-9/11 GI Bill.  According to officials, due to some states use of more complex and lesser-known programs to calculate their tuition rates, a veteran from Texas could theoretically attend a $50,000-per-year private college free of charge under the new GI Bill, while a veteran from Arkansas would have to pay almost $45,000 to go to the same school.  Click here to see the VA’s preliminary tuition reimbursement [4] per state. (2) Taliban pledges cease-fire in 2nd Pakistani region [5]   The Taliban announced a unilateral cease-fire on Monday in Pakistan’s Bajur region, a major transit route for militants traveling to fight U.S. and NATO forces in neighboring Afghanistan.  The truce follows a week-old agreement between the Pakistani government and militants in the nearby Swat Valley. AFGHANISTAN Af-Pak coverage today focused on Pakistan’s ceasefire negotiations with Taliban militants, a new GAO report questioning the cost efficacy of U.S. aid to Pakistan and analysis of the correlation between U.S. airstrikes and rising Afghan civilian deaths. Back in Washington, D.C., U.S. senators cautioned the White House to rethink aid to Pakistan [6] after the Government Accountability Office reported that the U.S. has spent $12.3 billion in the country since 2002 with only modest gains against the country's al-Qaeda and Taliban insurgency.  Returning from a visit with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also warned that any U.S. strategy in the region must "address systemic corruption within the Afghan government [7] and crack down on drug trafficking."  Separately, Tom Ricks argues that U.S. strategy must also include boosting Afghanistan’s traditional economy by re-paving the only major Afghan highway [8], connecting Kabul with Mazar-i-Sharif to the north and Kandahar to the south. As the U.S. military continues to races criticism for its reliance on airstrikes [9] to counter the insurgency in Afghanistan, U.S. pilots are defending their missions arguing that Afghan civilian deaths are in large part the result of Taliban militants melding themselves within the civilian population.   On the security front, Japan also announced Tuesday that it will pay the salaries of Afghanistan's 80,000 police officers [10] for six months as part of its ongoing financial support for the country. IRAQ Iraq coverage today focused on new violence in Diyala province as well as a new poll revealing Americans are increasingly optimistic about the U.S. military presence (and impending drawdown) in Iraq. Three U.S. soldiers and their interpreter were killed Monday during combat in Diyala [11]province, north of Baghdad. A new CBS/NY Times poll reveals that nearly 63% of Americans feel that things are going well [12] for the United States in Iraq, but that 46% believe that it is very important for troops to leave the country within President Obama's stated 16-month time line.  Meanwhile, 42% say troop levels should be increased in Afghanistan, up from 34% in January. OTHER MILITARY NEWS Military coverage today focused on the fallout from the AER charity scandal and a new study about troop mental health care and TBI screening. Veterans advocates have expressed outrage in response to reports that the Army Emergency Relief [13], a U.S. military charity designed to help active-duty soldiers, Army retirees and their families with cash emergencies, packed $117 million into its own reserves between 2003- 2007 while spending only $64 million on direct aid.  The AP report also reported that more than 90 percent of AER's aid was given as no-interest loans as opposed to outright grants. Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Monday he wants to know if there is a limit to the number of concussions [14] that servicemembers can suffer before they become nondeployable.  Mullen has asked his staff to review whether the military should set concussion standards like the NFL, which limits the number of concussions players can receive in a season.   Separately, the American Academy of Neurology will release a new study [15] Tuesday concluding that mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) is occurring in 15 to 25 percent of soldiers deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.  "The associated headaches [that follow] can be a source of impaired occupational functioning,” said study author Brett J. Theeler, MD, of Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, WA.  “These findings should alert health care providers, especially those affiliated with the military or veteran health care systems, to the need to identify and properly treat headache among soldiers." INSIDE WASHINGTON Beltway coverage centered  on President Obama’s first joint-congressional address scheduled for Tuesday evening and new concerns about North Korean ballistic missile capability.   President Obama will deliver his first speech to a joint-session of Congress [16] Tuesday night to discuss a variety of pressing issues including the economic crisis and reducing the budget deficit.   Days after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told North Korea to tone down its nuclear rhetoric, North Korea’s science ministry is preparing “to launch an experimental communications satellite [17].”  South Korea's Defense Minister rejected the notion of a satellite launch Tuesday, saying the North was planning a ballistic missile test. CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE   THE SENATE  The Senate will convene at 10:00 a.m.    FLOOR ACTIVITY of  INTEREST  At 10:00 a.m., the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S.160, the DC Voting Rights Act. At 11:00am, the Senate will proceed to a cloture vote on the motion to proceed to S.160, the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act. If cloture is invoked all post-cloture debate time will be yielded back and the motion to proceed will be adopted. The Senate would then proceed to a cloture vote on the nomination of Hilda Solis to be Secretary of Labor.  At 12:30pm, the Senate will recess until 2:15pm for the weekly caucus luncheons.  At 9:00pm there will be a Joint Session of Congress to receive a Message from the President. Senators should gather in the Senate chamber at 8:30pm and proceed to the House.   THE HOUSE of  REPRESENTATIVES  The House  will convene at 10:30 a.m.    FLOOR ACTIVITY of  INTEREST  The House Floor will be cleared at approximately 5:00 p.m. to allow a security sweep of the House Chamber prior to the President’s address. The House will meet again at approximately 8:35 p.m. in a joint meeting with the Senate for the purpose of receiving an address from the President of the United States.    Suspensions (3 Bills)1)       

• H.Res. 18 - Recognizes the life, achievements and contributions of Paul Newman (Rep. Cohen – Oversight and Government Reform)2)     
• H.Res. 83 - Recognizing the significance of Black History Month (Rep. Al Green – Oversight and Government Reform)3)    
• S. 234 - Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2105 East Cook Street in Springfield, Illinois, as the “Colonel John H. Wilson, Jr. Post Office Building”. (Sen. Durbin – Oversight and Government Reform) Postponed Suspension Votes (2 Bills)1)    
• H.R. 80 - Captive Primate Safety Act (Rep. Blumenauer – Natural Resources)2)    
• H.R. 637 - South Orange County Recycled Water Enhancement Act (Rep. Calvert – Natural Resources)

  IAVA IN THE NEWS Media Outlet: Wall Street Journal Title: Service Becomes A Priority For Craigslist Founder [18] Date: Tuesday, February 24th Representative: IAVA Board Member Craig Newmark Media Outlet: Stars and Stripes Title: GI Bill Could Mean Uneven Scholarships [3] Date: Tuesday, February 24th Representative: Patrick Campbell