Support Lifesaving Agent Orange Bills

Floor Speech

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Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the thousands of Vietnam war veterans who served our country but are unable to receive the VA benefits they earned and were promised.

When Mr. Bill Rhodes from Mena, Arkansas, first reached out to my office several years ago, his case seemed simple. He just needed our assistance in filing a benefits claim with the VA. But we soon learned he wasn't eligible because the VA didn't extend the presumption of Agent Orange exposure to veterans who served in Thailand during the Vietnam war.

Mr. Rhodes isn't a unique case. There are thousands of other veterans across the country who put their lives on the line during the Vietnam war. They made it home safely, only to learn years later that exposure to Agent Orange was making them sick.

Military personnel involved with the storage and transportation of Agent Orange suffered the worst rates of exposure. The average concentration of the toxic chemical was 13 times the recommended rate for domestic use.

Despite constant reassurance that it was safe and harmless to handle during the war, veterans began reporting symptoms of lymphoma, leukemia, respiratory cancer, prostate cancer, diabetes, digestive disorders, and other diseases.

Thanks to the passage of the Blue Water Navy Act last year, we are finally seeing progress as of January 1. Veterans who served off the coast of Vietnam are finally able to receive benefits for their exposure.

This bill also included language I introduced that extends benefits to children born with spina bifida as a result of their parent's exposure to toxic herbicides.

The Blue Water Navy Act is a big win for many veterans, but our work is not finished.

Mr. Horace Wynn, another Vietnam veteran in our district, reached out this past year regarding his diagnosis and its relation to Agent Orange.

Mr. Wynn's advocacy is why I introduced the bipartisan Keeping Our Promises Act, which would make an additional nine medical conditions eligible for benefits that stem from Agent Orange exposure.

I also reintroduced a bill from the 115th Congress, H.R. 2201, that would allow Vietnam-era veterans who served in Thailand to apply for benefits based on exposure to Agent Orange. This bill is a direct result of my conversations with Mr. Rhodes, and Arkansas Senator John Boozman has introduced the same legislation in the Senate.

Veteran organizations across the country are mailing letters of support in orange envelopes to their elected Representatives, urging them to support these lifesaving bills. The least we can do is listen. But we should do more. We must pass these bills for our Nation's veterans. They deserve it.

Our men and women in uniform put their lives on the line to serve their country. In return, we promised that we would provide assistance for their medical bills and benefits. It is past time we keep those promises.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in both the House and the Senate to join me in getting these bills passed and signed into law.

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