Obama seeks $6B to hire thousands of vets for public service jobs

Obama seeks $6B to hire thousands of vets for public service jobs
By LEO SHANE III
Stars and Stripes
Published: February 2, 2012

WASHINGTON — The White House wants $6 billion next year for a new veterans job corps initiative to employ thousands of servicemembers as police officers, firefighters and park rangers as they return home from the wars overseas.

The program, highlighted in President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address last month, will launch in the next few weeks but will require cooperation from Congress to move forward in coming years. That could be a tough sell for lawmakers already looking for ways to avoid a looming $500 billion cut in defense spending over the next decade.

The plan also comes as the Defense Department prepares to shed more than 100,000 troops over the next few years, part of cost-saving measures tied to the end of the war in Iraq and the drawdown of forces from Afghanistan.

The police and firefighter jobs will come through a pair of community hiring grant programs designed to boost public safety employee numbers. Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki said nearly $500 million will be made available this year for departments that give hiring preference to post-Sept. 11 veterans, recognizing the “debt of gratitude” all Americans owe to those servicemembers.

“We want to encourage departments around the country to take advantage of the training, skills, dedication, discipline and competence that our veterans have gained through their selfless military service,” Shinseki said.
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