2019-02-20 08:03:39
■ As the 115th Congress came to a close during the last days of 2018, veteran advocates were still hoping the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2017 could be signed by the president in time for the new year. Unfortunately, it was blocked in the Senate, requiring nearly 90,000 Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange to continue to wait for the benefits and resources they earned.
However, House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees for the 116th Congress, alongside DAV and other veterans groups, vowed to pick up the fight right away.
“Although our united efforts fell just short this year, we did make historic progress to right this wrong,” said Washington Headquarters Executive Director Randy Reese (second from right) at a press conference on Capitol Hill. “We will be calling on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to make these forgotten heroes a priority by scheduling floor time to debate and vote on the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act right away. The time to take action is now, before the Vietnam generation is gone.”
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