As reported by Cmdr. John Wells-Ret. How close did we come to passing the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act? Damn close! This was supposed to be our year and I thought we would make it We had 336 sponsors in the House and 47 in the Senate. We had a favorable Legislative hearing in the Senate 2015. Congressman Jeff Miller did not schedule a hearing for us in the House. The holdup, as it always is, was the offset requirements under the Pay As You Go Act of 2010. We proposed using round downs which would have reduced monthly benefit checks to the nearest dollar. That would have cost the individual veteran a maximum of $11.88 per year. The average cost would have been about $5.50 per year. But it would have generated $1.8 billion which would more than have paid for the $1.1 billion cost of the bill. Senator Sanders of Vermont refused to let the bill go forward with that offset. We turned next to Senator Grassley of Iowa who graciously authorized the Judiciary Committee to work with us. To put this in perspective, offsets are hard to find and are often jealously guarded. Here Senator Grassley, a supporter of the original Agent Orange Act of 1991, felt that the Blue Water Navy veterans were important enough to offer assistance from his committee staff. As a result, we were able to generate $1.2 billion by placing a $100 surcharge on foreign student visa fees. The intent was to “hotline” S 681, which means asking for unanimous consent. After passage, we would be able to bring the matter up in the House under a “suspension of the rules.” The House leadership was aware of the plan and I believe It would have passed. Unfortunately, the plan was stymied by Senator Leahy of Vermont who placed a “hold” on the bill due to the offset. Senator Leahy is the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee. I met with his staff and they confirmed their opposition. They felt that they were not properly consulted by the bill’s sponsors. They further said that while the $100 fee gave them concern, the need to renew the visa every 13 months was their main issue. Their fear was that the students would forget to renew the visa which would lead to deportation. While I am not certain how realistic that fear is, my personal opinion is that the little cupcakes should show some maturity and be responsible for ensuring their visas are current. I might also add I left a message for the Senator’s Legislative Director because I wanted to propose a compromise. The call was not returned. So what is out strategy for 2017? We will start off with the Resolution and fight the attempt to score it. I have discussed this with the House leadership and they support the proposition that a non-binding resolution should not be scored. I met with Congresswoman Elise Stefanik R-NY, who will introduce the resolution early in the next Congress. If this revolution is passed before oral argument in the federal case, I can argue that the sense of Congress is that the bays, harbors and territorial seas were intended to have been included within the scope of the 1991 Agent Orange Act. Senator Grassley is willing to re-introduce in the Senate. Congressman David Valadao, R-CA, along with Congressman Tim Walz D-MN will reintroduce the bill in the House. At this point, we will not include an offset pending a continued search. Additionally, should the court case be decided in our favor, the CBO score will be significantly lower which will make the search for the offset much easier. I am also going to try another approach. The Blue Water bill has always been considered the point of the spear. Accordingly, I am going to float the idea of an omnibus bill covering all toxic exposures. This would require an independent funding source. I discussed this idea with several Members and staffs and will pursue the matter with the Ways and Mens and Finance Committees, as well as the Republican Study Committee when I return to Washington in February. I intend to spend two weeks in Washington to meet the new Members of Congress and work with the various staffs. Finally, I want to thank our many allies in Congress and the Senate. Ths list is too long but at the top is outgoing Congressman Chris Gibson, R-NY who was our House sponsor and biggest cheerleader these past 6 years. We will miss his enthusiasm and dedication to our cause. We are sorry to see him go. A true patriot, Chris Gibson was a retired Army Colonel who saw combat in Iraq. He announced when he ran for Congress that he would only serve three terms and he kept his word. A good man and a good friend, he was the face of the Blue Water Navy in Congress. Pray for his future successes and if you ever see him on the street give him a handshake and a hug, So here is the bottom line, We darned near got the bill through this Congress. But we are not giving up. So let’s gear up for next year. Your prayerful support (a bit of financial support if you can afford it) will push us to success in the 115th Congress. www.blurewaternavy.org