To modify the presumption of service connection for veterans who were exposed to herbicide agents while serving in the Armed Forces in Thailand during the Vietnam era, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 299) to amend title 38, United States Code, to clarify presumptions relating to the exposure of certain veterans who served in the vicinity of the Republic of Vietnam, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 299, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2018, which was introduced by Representative Valadao of California.

H.R. 299, as amended, would finally extend the presumption of exposure to Agent Orange to blue water Navy veterans. I am grateful to Mr. Valadao for introducing this long overdue bill, but I also thank my colleagues on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs for working with us in a bipartisan manner to find an acceptable way to pay for this bill.

As many of you know, Agent Orange was used in Vietnam to defoliate areas in the jungle where enemy forces would come and ambush our troops. Unfortunately, many Vietnam veterans have developed diseases as a result of their exposure to Agent Orange.

Currently, VA only extends a presumption of exposure to Vietnam veterans who actually set foot in Vietnam or served in the inland waterways, or the brown water Navy, we call it. Blue water Navy veterans who served offshore of Vietnam were excluded from the presumption. VA denies these benefits because it claims there is not enough scientific information to determine whether blue water Navy veterans came into contact with herbicides in amounts meaningful to cause disease.

Mr. Speaker, I have read the science, and, unfortunately, we will never be able to prove whether blue water Navy veterans were harmed by herbicides. But I have said this before and I will say it again: When too many years have passed--over four decades, in this case--to meaningfully determine the science, the presumption should be heavily in favor of the veteran.

Moreover, I am pleased that the bill would help veterans who may have been harmed by exposure to herbicides while serving areas outside the Republic of Vietnam.

H.R. 299, as amended, incorporates a proposal authored by Representative Tom MacArthur, which would extend the presumption to veterans who served in or near the Korean Demilitarized Zone beginning on September 1, 1967, which is the month when the military began testing herbicides in that area. The end date of the presumption period would remain the same as it is now, which is August 31, 1971.

This legislation would also require VA to identify U.S. military bases located in Thailand where Agent Orange was used and when it was used.

Additionally, this bill includes a proposal authored by Representative Westerman of Arkansas, which would require VA to provide benefits for children who were born with spina bifida if one or both parents may have been exposed to Agent Orange while serving in Thailand, just as VA does for children with spina bifida if their parents served in Vietnam or the Korean DMZ while Agent Orange was used.

The manager's amendment makes some technical changes to ensure that

all Vietnam naval veterans who served within 12 miles offshore of Vietnam during the war are eligible for the presumption. The manager's amendment also makes technical changes to clarify the intent of this bill, including ensuring surviving spouses are eligible for retroactive benefits and authorizes VA to start paying benefits before the final regulations are issued.

Additionally, H.R. 299, as amended, would include several improvements to the VA's home loan program, introduced by several Members, including changes to VA's home appraisal system, which was introduced by Representative Arrington; and expansion of the conforming loan limit, which would allow veterans to use their earned VA loan benefits in more expensive areas, if they qualify. This provision was introduced by Representative Zeldin.

Extension of the waiver of home loan funding fees to recipients of the Purple Heart who are still serving on Active Duty was introduced by Representative Herrera Beutler, and temporary increases to VA's home loan funding fees for nondisabled veterans, to offset the cost of this bill.

I want to thank all of our VSO partners for their support and for helping us craft a bill that finally addresses the plight of blue water Navy veterans. Specifically, I want to thank the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, the Disabled American Veterans, the American Legion, the Vietnam Veterans of America, the Fleet Reserve Association, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the Paralyzed Veterans of America, the Blue Water Vietnam Veteran Association, Military Veterans Advocacy, and the Military Officers Association of America.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 299, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the kind words from my friend Mr. Takano. We worked together closely on the committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Valadao), the lead sponsor of this bill, who has doggedly pursued this. This issue has been a problem for decades. Finally, tonight, on the House side, we are going to come to a conclusion.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), vice chair of the committee and one of the most ardent supporters of our Nation's veterans.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from American Samoa (Mrs. Radewagen), one of the senior members of our Veterans' Affairs Committee and an incredible support for our Nation's heroes.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bergman), chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee and a Vietnam veteran.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Zeldin), a former member of our committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman), my good friend.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bacon), an Air Force career officer.

Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers and am prepared to close, so I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record letters of support for H.R. 299 from the 10 veterans service organizations I mentioned earlier.

Veterans of Foreign Wars

of The United States,

Kansas City, MO, May 7, 2018.

Hon. Johnny Isakson,

Chairman, Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Washington,

Mr. Speaker, the VA estimates that there are 6.6 million living Vietnam-era veterans; there are 58,220 who died in that war; and there only will be about 4.4 million remaining in just 10 short years. That means we will lose 2.2 million Vietnam-era veterans in the next 10 years, which is an average of about 523 Vietnam-era veterans per day.

We must now act because, if we don't, blue water Navy veterans may not be around to receive the benefits they and their loved ones have been waiting on for so long. We owe it to the brave men and women veterans who served offshore during the Vietnam era to cease waiting on perfect science and provide compensation benefits for conditions they may have developed because of exposure to Agent Orange.

I am not the only one who believes this. H.R. 299 has broad bipartisan support: 330 cosponsors. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that H.R. 299, as amended, does the right thing for our blue water Navy veterans.

Mr. Speaker, this is personal for our Vietnam-era veterans like myself. I served and walked the territory not long after in Korea, over 40 years ago.

We have done great work on the committee: We passed an accountability bill this year, a way to speed up disability claims. The Forever GI Bill funded the Veterans Choice Program. We just passed the VA MISSION Act, just a few of the things that our committee in a bipartisan way, has done.

But there is a little inconvenience out there that we have 90,000 blue water Navy veterans who are being left behind--not after today.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the other side of the aisle. We worked hand in hand.

And I thank the staffs--I don't think they get enough credit--for the hard work that the staffs do behind the scenes. When we seem to find a blind alley and can't get to a conclusion, they continue to work in a bipartisan way to find a way to get to yes.

I also thank all of the outside groups that kept this issue in front of us for decades.

When I got the chairmanship a year and a half ago, I said one of the things that I will base my chairmanship on is if we can get this solved and do the right thing for our blue water Navy veterans. Today, we are going to do the right thing in this House and send it to the Senate, where they will do the right thing.

Mr. Speaker, once again, I encourage all Members to support H.R. 299, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 299, as amended, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act. It has taken years of dedicated advocacy and bipartisanship to get us here today. I would especially like to recognize Ranking Member Walz, who could not be here today but was a driving force behind this legislation.

H.R. 299 is an important step toward rectifying a longstanding injustice for veterans who were made sick from exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam more than 50 years ago.

Passage of this legislation will extend eligibility to 90,000 veterans who served in Vietnam and may have been exposed to this dangerous chemical. Some thought this day would never come for the blue water Navy veterans. Finding over $1 billion in the Federal budget is not an easy task. Many people even said it was impossible.

I thank the chairman for sitting down with the veteran service organizations, working with staff, and agreeing to find an alternative funding source to right this wrong. I am proud that this committee was able to, once again, reach a bipartisan agreement to move forward with legislation that does what is right for our Nation's veterans.

While there was disagreement about the pay-for in the past, the solution in this bill is fair. It does not cut benefits for one group of veterans to pay for the benefits of others. It requires all veterans, whether they served on Active Duty, in the Reserves, or as guardsmen and -women, to pay for the same VA home loan funding fee.

With the move to an operational Reserve, reservists and guardsmen and -women are deploying alongside Active Duty servicemembers into harm's way. It is fair for VA to charge the same fee across the board. The funding fee allows the VA to continue guaranteeing home loans to current and future servicemembers and veterans. Disabled veterans are exempt from paying the fee.

Now, we were able to do this by working together, and I want to thank Chairman Roe for identifying the solution. A special measure of credit must also go to the Vietnam Veterans of America for their steadfast advocacy for blue water veterans. Because of VVA's efforts, it is my hope that never again will another group of veterans face the same problems that they did.

I would also like to add that, before we take this historic vote, we must remember toxic exposures continue to occur. Since 9/11, servicemembers have been exposed to burn pits and mefloquine, both of which are likely causing serious health complications.

And we can't forget our servicemembers who have been exposed to atomic radiation and those struggling with Gulf War illnesses. Not every exposure can be avoided, but their risks should be tracked, understood, and mitigated. The servicemember must receive timely healthcare and disability compensation if exposure causes adverse health conditions and disease.

We must build a system that proactively identifies, investigates, diagnoses, treats, and heals toxic exposures, as well as one that also holds the Department of Defense accountable.

My feeling is that, if we are using presumptions, it means that we are already losing the battle. It means we haven't documented who was exposed to what, so we are just going to assume that everyone was exposed.

H.R. 299 makes other important reforms, including adjusting the date of the presumption for veterans exposed to Agent Orange and in the Korean DMZ, so that those exposed during a period of testing become eligible. It directs the Secretary to reach out to veterans who have previously been denied to inform them of the new law and how to file a new claim.

The bill also requires that VA use language that is easily understood. H.R. 299 also expands the presumption for Agent Orange exposure to children born with spina bifida to veteran parents exposed in Thailand.

Lastly, the bill mandates that VA report to Congress within 180 days after enactment on the result of the epidemiological study conducted on Gulf War veterans who are suffering from Gulf War illness.

I am proud that we are fixing this broken promise to the blue water veterans today; but there are many others in the making, and we need to address them as soon as possible.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney), my good friend and colleague, who has been with this issue since four Congresses ago. He is the original, first Democratic cosponsor on the current bill before us. It is my honor to yield to him.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, how much time is remaining on my side?

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to offer my reflections on the persistence of both Chairman Roe and Ranking Member Walz. I think it is a great injustice that Mr. Walz could not be here today because I know how hard he worked with Chairman Roe to find a pay-for.

Let me say, also, for the folks back in my own district, in Riverside County, Riverside County has the eighth or ninth largest absolute population of veterans in the Nation, depending on what year you are counting. But every year, we have an event known as West Coast Thunder of mostly Harley-Davidson riders who ride from the Harley-Davidson shop to Riverside National Cemetery. Most of those riders are Vietnam veterans. I know back home in my district that the veterans support committee is going to be thrilled that Congress came together on this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Correa), my good friend and fellow member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and the former chairman of the California State Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I again want to thank Chairman Roe for bringing forth this very important legislation. I also want to acknowledge, again, the ranking member, Tim Walz, for working so hard to bring this legislation to the floor. It was a long time coming. It was introduced four Congresses ago.

I believe that this is a shining moment for the Veterans' Affairs Committee and a shining moment for this Congress, for the people of this country to see us come together and do something that has been long overdue for our Vietnam veterans, often who were not welcomed home in the way that they should have been. This is a small gesture of what we can do to make amends for that lack of a proper welcoming home. This is a very proud moment for me.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 299, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Takano for yielding and for his hard work on the Veterans' Affairs Committee to bring this important milestone for Vietnam veterans to the floor today. And I also want to thank Chairman Roe for the hard work that obviously went in in terms of the markup process, the negotiations with all the different members, and to make all the pieces fit together; and your colleague, the ranking member, Mr. Walz, who, again, was a partner through that process; Mr. Valadao, who is, again, the lead sponsor as well. Again, this is a real team effort.

There were 330 cosponsors to this bill, which, frankly, there are not a lot of bills that you can really say that about. Obviously, there were some impediments that we had to sort of work our way through. This was good, hard work, real legislating, that brought this measure to the floor.

As has been said, back in 2001 the VA ruled against a Navy veteran, Mr. Jonathan Haas, who served on the ammunition ship USS Mount Katmai off the coast of Vietnam, in his attempt to get Agent Orange benefits using the presumption that, again, extended to folks who served on the ground forces. Again, the foot-on-the-ground rule was used by the VA to deny Mr. Haas his claim; and, again, it has acted as an obstacle ever since.

In the 112th Congress, a Blue Water Vietnam Veterans Act was introduced in 2011. Didn't pass. In the 113th Congress, a similar bill was introduced, and it didn't pass. Again, in the last Congress, the 114th, in 2015, we had another measure which was introduced and didn't pass.

Yes, we are here today, for the first time ever, to address this grave injustice--which uses a very arbitrary, technical rule that defies common sense--and open a path for folks who served in the U.S. Navy, our sea forces, to make sure that they get equal treatment in terms of getting the care that they need and, frankly, that they have earned.

If you look at some of the other countries that have dealt with this issue, like the Royal Navy of Australia, they have actually shown that folks who served in the Royal Australian Navy in Vietnam, one of our great allies during that conflict, actually had a higher incidence of cancer than folks who served in the land forces.

So it is high time that we move forward with this measure, again, with all the grassroots support across the country with all the VSOs. Paul Dillon, a retired master chief petty officer who served in the U.S. Navy, who is from Gales Ferry, Connecticut, is watching like a hawk this measure, as are many of his colleagues who served in that era.

I think they are going to feel some measure of confidence that the system actually listened to the external pressure that has built up year in and year out since 2001 to restore justice in the VA system, to make sure that those who served on the seas are treated the same way as those who served on the ground in that conflict.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge passage of this measure and, again, congratulate the hard work of those on the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues in the House to support my legislation, H.R. 299, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act.

More than 6 decades ago, the United States deployed troops to Vietnam to fight communism and protect our national security interests abroad. Over the course of 20 years, American troops fought side by side with Vietnamese forces. Tragically, more than 58,000 American soldiers lost their lives during the conflict.

However, in the aftermath of the war, the United States government linked chemicals in Agent Orange, a powerful herbicide used by U.S. forces, to many harmful medical conditions affecting those who served in or around Vietnam.

While the Federal Government has provided for those who have served on Vietnamese soil, those who have served in the territorial seas of the Republic of Vietnam lack the compensation and treatment they deserve.

Despite undeniable evidence that Agent Orange entered the South China Sea and contaminated shipboard systems and countless studies that clearly show the connection between Agent Orange and higher rates of serious disease among shipboard veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs continues to deny claims from the blue water Navy Vietnam veterans.

The brave sailors who served in the Vietnam war were willing to pay the ultimate price for their country, and many did just that. Providing adequate medical care to those who survive when they return home is the least we can do to show our appreciation for their service.

My bill, H.R. 299, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, would restore the presumption of service connection to the blue water Navy veterans, ensuring they receive proper treatment for the health conditions

they acquired in their service to our Nation.

Since I was elected, I have fought to ensure our Nation's veterans have proper medical care, which is why I first introduced this legislation. However, passage of this bill today would not be possible without Mrs. Susie Belanger, who worked tirelessly to raise awareness of this issue; Chairman Phil Roe and the House Veterans' Affairs Committee staff for their unwavering support; and the dedication of thousands of Americans who called their representatives, urging they cosponsor this legislation.

Every day, thousands of brave veterans who served in the Vietnam war fight the health effects of Agent Orange exposure. Many are in pain and suffering. It is far past time we pass this critical legislation and give them the comfort and care they deserve.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Takano for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Walz, Mr. Valadao, and, of course, Chairman Roe for their leadership on H.R. 299, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act. This is a great example of how Democrats and Republicans come together to do what is right for our country, as well as our veterans.

Since the Vietnam war, veterans have reported numerous health complications, including different forms of cancer related to the exposure to Agent Orange.

While the Department of Veterans Affairs currently presumes that veterans who served on the ground in Vietnam or in the Vietnamese river system were exposed to Agent Orange, that presumption has not extended to the blue water Navy veterans, that is, those veterans who served off of the Vietnam coast.

This bill, thank God, corrects that decades-long mistake and expands that presumption to those who served in the blue water Navy off of the Vietnam coast and ensures equal treatment for all of our veterans.

Additionally, the bill expands the dates of presumption to those who served along the Korean Demilitarized Zone and authorizes benefits for children born with spina bifida due to a parent's exposure to Agent Orange.

This bill, Mr. Speaker, is long overdue, and the benefits will possibly change the lives of those veterans who served in the defense of our country and in the defense of freedom of those around the world.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 299.