Facebook with Latestnigeriannews  Twieet with latestnigeriannews  RSS Page Feed
Home  |  All Headlines  |  Punch  |  Thisday  |  Daily Sun  |  Vanguard   |  Guardian  |  The Nation  |  Daily Times  |  Daily Trust  |  Daily Independent
World  |  Sports  |  Technology  |  Entertainment  |  Business  |  Politics  |  Tribune  |  Leadership  |  National Mirror  |  BusinessDay  |  More Channels...

Viewing Mode:

Archive:

  1.     Tool Tips    
  2.    Collapsible   
  3.    Collapsed     
Click to view all Entertainment headlines today

Click to view all Sports headlines today

A bill that would have given benefits to thousands of Navy veterans who might have been exposed to Agent Orange just failed to pass the Senate

Published by Business Insider on Tue, 11 Dec 2018


The Senate failed to pass a bill Monday that would extend Veterans Affairs benefits to thousands of Navy veterans who were potentially exposed to Agent Orange.H.R. 299 passed the House of Representatives in a unanimous vote, but has stalled in the Senate due to concerns over the bill's cost.The VA has estimated that the bill would cost some $5.5 million, and has also argued that the addition of thousands of beneficiaries would exacerbate its current backlog.Sen. Mike Enzi cited these concerns when he objected to the bill's unanimous passage on Monday night.On Monday night, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand went to the floor of the Senate to ask her colleagues for unanimous consent to pass H.R. 299, known as the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act.The act, which passed in the House of Representatives with a unanimous vote, would extend Veterans Affairs benefits to veterans who served in warships off the coast of Vietnam and were exposed to toxic Agent Orange.Read more: 43 years after the Vietnam war, many Navy veterans are still battling for benefits for potential Agent Orange exposureIf successful, Gillibrand's request would have expedited the bill's passagebut one senator, Republican Mike Enzi of Wyoming, objected, according to Stars & Stripes."On this bill, many of us have been made aware of the potential cost growth and the budgetary and operational pressures that would happen at the VA," he said. "They're having a lot of problems, anyway."The VA has estimated that the bill would cost the bureau $5.5 million over the course of 10 years. But the Congressional Budget Office has previously estimated it would cost a fraction of that amount$1.1 million. Regardless of cost, some senators, backed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion, view the bill as an obligation."If we can afford to send veterans to war, it's unacceptable that we can't afford to take care of them when they return home wounded," B.J. Lawrence, national commander of the VFW, said in a statement.Sen. Jon Tester, the ranking Democrat on the Senate veterans affairs committee, agreed."It is our obligation to meet the needs of the folks who have sacrificed for our country," he said on the Senate floor.Sens. Gillibrand and Tester held a press conference Tuesday morning, calling for more support for the struggling bill."Shame on the VA for trying to muddy the waters and say 'but we don't have enough money for these veterans,'" Gillibrand said in the press conference. "Is their sacrifice no less'"Join the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: What serving in the military taught beauty YouTuber Jackie Aina
Click here to read full news..

All Channels Nigerian Dailies: Punch  |  Vanguard   |  The Nation  |  Thisday  |  Daily Sun  |  Guardian  |  Daily Times  |  Daily Trust  |  Daily Independent  |   The Herald  |  Tribune  |  Leadership  |  National Mirror  |  BusinessDay  |  New Telegraph  |  Peoples Daily  |  Blueprint  |  Nigerian Pilot  |  Sahara Reporters  |  Premium Times  |  The Cable  |  PM News  |  APO Africa Newsroom

Categories Today: World  |  Sports  |  Technology  |  Entertainment  |  Business  |  Politics  |  Columns  |  All Headlines Today

Entertainment (Local): Linda Ikeji  |  Bella Naija  |  Tori  |  Pulse  |  The NET  |  DailyPost  |  Information Nigeria  |  Gistlover  |  Lailas Blog  |  Miss Petite  |  Olufamous  |  Stella Dimoko Korkus Blog  |  Ynaija  |  All Entertainment News Today

Entertainment (World): TMZ  |  Daily Mail  |  Huffington Post

Sports: Goal  |  African Football  |  Bleacher Report  |  FTBpro  |  Kickoff  |  All Sports Headlines Today

Business & Finance: Nairametrics  |  Nigerian Tenders  |  Business Insider  |  Forbes  |  Entrepreneur  |  The Economist  |  BusinessTech  |  Financial Watch  |  BusinessDay  |  All Business News Headlines Today

Technology (Local): Techpoint  |  TechMoran  |  TechCity  |  Innovation Village  |  IT News Africa  |  Technology Times  |  Technext  |  Techcabal  |  All Technology News Headlines Today

Technology (World): Techcrunch  |  Techmeme  |  Slashdot  |  Wired  |  Hackers News  |  Engadget  |  Pocket Lint  |  The Verge

International Networks:   |  CNN  |  BBC  |  Al Jazeera  |  Yahoo

Forum:   |  Nairaland  |  Naij

Other Links: Home   |  Nigerian Jobs