Rocky Mount’s Goode votes no on soldiers’ education bill

By Sarah Arkin

Published: May 16, 2008

While maintaining that he supports increased benefits for veterans, U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode voted against a House bill aimed at ensuring educational costs for soldiers, saying Democrats used it as fodder for promoting partisan politics.
The House passed the highly publicized GI Bill spearheaded by U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., by a vote of 256 to 166, with all Virginia Republicans voting against it and Virginia Democrats voting for it.
“(The bill) as a stand-alone piece of legislation would have passed overwhelmingly,” Goode, R-5th, said in a written release, after he couldn’t be reached by telephone. “It is a good example of Democratic rhetoric about bipartisanship being untrue. This could have been a bipartisan effort.”
The Washington, D.C., Bureau of Media General News Service reports that conservative “Blue Dog” Democrats got on board only after the GI Bill was funded through what Democrats dubbed a “Patriots’ Premium.”
The premium increases an individual’s taxes by a half-percent on all income above $500,000 and would generate an estimated $56 billion over 10 years.
The bill would authorize a 3.9 percent pay increase for military personnel to take effect Jan. 1 and would essentially guarantee a full-ride scholarship to any in-state public university, along with a monthly housing stipend, for individuals who serve the military for at least three years.
“The Democrats created a package so that they could highlight the VA benefit and not mention the $10 billion in foreign aid and the tax increase on individuals and on individuals who own small businesses,” Goode said.
The Rocky Mount Republican’s opponent in the upcoming congressional election, Democrat Tom Perriello, said in a written statement that he was “outraged that anyone would vote against a new GI Bill for our returning troops after asking them to pull back-to-back tours.”
Perriello also said he was “disappointed that Rep. Goode would care more about protecting his fellow millionaires than providing educational opportunities to our brave troops and veterans.”
For his part, Goode said he continues to support any bill that benefits veterans.
“I suspect that the Senate will not adopt the Democrats’ tax increase provision, and we will have another opportunity in the House to vote on the legislation to give expanded educational benefits to our veterans,” Goode said.
Contact Sarah Arkin at or (434) 791-7983.