Paul Rieckhoff, founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), criticized President Obama for his weak stance on the Post-9/11 GI Bill’s shrinking budget.

In the past, the president helped sign the GI Bill into law and vehemently opposed any law that cut its funding. Now that the GI Bill is threatened by a new law, however, Obama has remained silent.

“This is extremely disappointing to hear from our commander in chief,” Rieckhoff told Military.com. “You cannot be neutral on a moving train. We need him to stand strong. He stood with us when we passed the GI Bill in 2008. We need him to stand with us now in defending it. This is a no-brainer for the President.”

The White House has offered no explanation why the president isn’t standing up for the program.

The new bill would take funding from the Post-9/11 GI Bill and redistribute the money among other veterans programs. Rieckhoff and his fellow critics believe this bill would “rob Peter to pay Paul” and take away valuable support for military families.

The president was also criticized by several lawmakers, including military veterans Rep. Tammy Duckworth and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.

“How dare we decide, years later after we’ve made this promise — after people enlisted or stayed in the military simply because of this benefit — that it’s too expensive, it costs us too much?” Duckworth said at a small rally outside the U.S. Capitol.

Half a dozen Democratic congressmen have pledged to fight the proposed cuts.