As tens of
thousands of so-called “Blue Water” Navy veterans wait for Congress to act, 45
House Members are calling on the Senate to advance crucial legislation to
expand much-needed care to them.
In a letter
sent to Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) and 44 other House
lawmakers urged the Senate VA Committee chairman to pass the Blue Water Navy
Vietnam Veterans Act, “so that the legislation can be brought to the Senate
floor as soon as possible.”
43 House
Democrats signed on to the letter, including Walz, with Reps. Walter Jones
(N.C.), and Mike Bishop (Mich.) as the Republican signatories.
“It is a
very sad reality that every day of delay means there are fewer Blue Water Navy
veterans who earned and deserved compensation and Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) care for their illnesses,” the letter reads.
“As
veterans’ advocates, we have all heard from frustrated veterans who say it
sometimes looks to them as if the Congress and the VA are denying benefits just
waiting for them to die. Unless Congress
passes this bill, it will be hard to argue against that notion.”
The House
unanimously passed the bill in June, which represents “the first time these
veterans saw any real progress from their government,” says Walz.
“However,
it’s extremely disappointing to see the legislation lose traction in the
Senate, presumably because the Trump Administration has come out in strong
opposition to the bill, not based on policy, but because it simply does not
want to invest the money it would take to do right by these veterans.
The
legislation would finally grant a presumption of exposure to Agent Orange for
sailors who served in territorial waters off the coast of Vietnam; U.S. service
members who served on-the-ground in Vietnam during the war already have that.
It would also allow these veterans to receive
expedited care and other VA benefits if they’re suffering from illnesses
connected to their exposure.
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