Political Quotes

“Mr. President today, as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I introduce the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of- Living Adjustment Act of 2008. This measure would direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase, effective December 1, 2008, the rates of veterans' compensation to keep pace with the rising cost-of-living in this country. The rate adjustment is equal to that provided on an annual basis to Social Security recipients and is based on the Consumer Price Index. Several of my colleagues on the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, including Ranking Member Burr, and Senators Rockefeller, Murray, Obama, Sanders, Brown, Webb, Tester, Craig, and Isakson join me in introducing this important legislation. I appreciate their continued support of our Nation's veterans. Congress regularly enacts an annual cost-of-living adjustment for veterans' compensation in order to ensure that inflation does not erode the purchasing power of the veterans and their families who depend upon this income to meet their daily needs. This past year Congress passed, and the President signed into law, Public Law 110-111, which resulted in a COLA increase of 2.3 percent for 2008. The 2009 projected COLA increase is 2.5 percent. The COLA affects, among other benefits, veterans' disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children.”