A key House of Representatives subcommittee will probe
Wednesday whether thousands of Vietnam War sailors who say they were exposed to
Agent Orange can qualify for federal benefits — as the list of congressional
supporters continues to grow significantly.
McClatchy detailed last month how veterans’ advocates have
been frustrated for years in their bid for help. The Department of Veterans
Affairs , saying there’s not enough evidence to prove widespread Agent Orange
exposure for Navy veterans who served on large ships like aircraft carriers in
the South China Sea.
The proposed legislation, which now is co-sponsored by 252
of the House’s 435 members, would grant disability-benefits coverage for
potentially tens of thousands of sailors who have certain cancers and diseases
associated with exposure to the chemical dioxin, a dangerous ingredient used in
the Agent Orange herbicide during the Vietnam War.
The bill, defeated in years past in Congress because of the
estimated $1 billion cost over 10 years, is at a crucial political juncture,
with a new president and VA secretary and President Donald Trump’s push to
spend more federal money at the VA.
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