[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 8, 2020)]
[House]
[Page H17]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 SUPPORT LIFESAVING AGENT ORANGE BILLS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) for 5 minutes.
  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.

                          ____________________