VA to issue emergency checks up to $3,000 to Iraq, Afghanistan vets waiting for benefits

September 25th, 2009 Shinseki: VA working to resolve GI Bill issuesWASHINGTON — Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki said Friday he's hopeful that many of the tens of thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans awaiting payment under the new GI Bill will get paid next month. Shinseki said veterans were right in complaining about delays under the newly enacted Post 9/11 GI Bill, which was the largest expansion of education benefits since World War II.

September 23rd, 2009 Report: Too many vets wait a year for claimWASHINGTON — Too many veterans' disability claims take more than a year to process, the Veterans Affairs Department's inspector general said Wednesday. An audit released by the VA showed that a year ago, 11,000 veterans had claims pending more than a year.

September 1st, 2009 New GI Bill housing checks flowing but some delaysFacing a rush of last-minute claims, the Department of Veterans Affairs has cut housing checks to tens of thousands of veterans returning to college under the newly expanded GI Bill but officials acknowledge several thousand may get their money later than expected. With the academic year recently under way, Tuesday was the first day many veterans were due their first monthly housing stipends, which range from under $1,000 to upward of $2,500 depending on factors including location.

August 22nd, 2009 Top Marine checks troops in 2 warsCAMP RAMADI, Iraq — The top U.S. Marine is checking on troops in one war zone as he gets ready to send more to the next.

August 9th, 2009 GOP senator warns against pulling a 'Rumsfeld'WASHINGTON —A Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee says more troops are needed in Afghanistan and is warning that the U.S. must not 'Rumsfeld' the war.

July 23rd, 2009 Poll details: Majority in US oppose both warsA majority of Americans oppose both the war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq, though the war in Afghanistan is a little more popular. Here are details: OVERALL RESULTS: 34 percent favor the war in Iraq and 63 percent are opposed; 44 percent favor the war in Afghanistan and 53 percent are opposed.

June 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has signed into law a measure keeping the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan from running out of money. The $106 billion spending bill also includes money to fight swine flu and a "cash for clunkers" program encouraging drivers to switch to more fuel-efficient cars.

June 18th, 2009 Congress sends Obama $106B war spending billWASHINGTON — Congress is sending President Barack Obama a $106 billion bill ensuring that the military will have the money to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan during the final months of this year. The emergency spending bill contains $80 billion to fund ongoing operations in the two countries.

June 11th, 2009 Marines will come out of Iraq by spring 2010WASHINGTON — All but a few dozen of the 16,000 Marines now in Iraq will be out by next spring, the Marine Corps commandant said Thursday, putting a solid end date on a long-anticipated exit. Gen. James T. Conway said his Marine commanders are already moving equipment out of Anbar Province, where his forces have largely been concentrated.

June 7th, 2009 Major problems found in Iraq, Afghan war spendingWASHINGTON — An independent panel investigating contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan has a bleak assessment for how tens of billions of dollars have been spent since 2001. A report by the Wartime Contracting Commission, obtained by The Associated Press, documents poor management, weak oversight and a failure to learn from mistakes.

May 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Pakistan might be eagerly waiting for 1.4 billion dollars as aid which the United States has pledged, but according to an American lawmaker, the US Congress appears to be in no mood to pass the bill in a huff. Democratic Senator Richard Durbin said it is highly unlikely that the US Congress would pass an emergency aid package for Pakistan.

April 30th, 2009 Obama praises vets at bike ride kickoffWASHINGTON — It's called the "White House to Lighthouse" ride for wounded warriors from Iraq and Afghanistan. President Barack Obama says like a lot of great ideas, it originated in a bar.

April 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama Thursday asked Congress to authorise $83.4 billion in additional funding for the military missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. In a letter to Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives, he said that nearly 95 percent of the military request for the current fiscal year, which ends Sep 30, would go toward military operations in either Iraq or the conflict in Afghanistan, which has increasingly spilled into neighbouring Pakistan.

January 23rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US military is to deploy about 20,000 Marines to Afghanistan in six to eight months, a senior military officer has said. 'The time is right for Marines to leave Iraq,' Marine Commandant James Conway told reporters here, adding that the deployment is a result of troop withdrawal from Iraq.

January 20th, 2009 WASHINGTON - On the very first day in office, US President Barack Obama will discuss war issues with his national security aides and senior commanders Wednesday. According to reports, the new commander in chief was summoning Defence Secretary Robert Gates and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen along with other members of his national security council to the White House to discuss a way ahead in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.