'For There To Be Any Justice For The War Crimes...': Rashida Tlaib Discusses Her Agent Orange Exposure Bill

In remarks on the House floor last week, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) spoke about Agent Orange exposure.

Transcript

00:00recognition. Without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute.

00:05Mr. Speaker, Agent Orange exposure continues to negatively impact the lives

00:10of our veterans, Vietnamese people, and the Vietnamese Americans and their

00:15children. As we mark 50 years after the United States withdrawal from Vietnam,

00:19it's time to meet our moral and legal obligations to heal the wounds

00:23inflicted by these atrocities. That's why I'm proud to introduce the Victims of

00:28Agent Orange Act and the Agent Orange Relief Act, because we know that the

00:32devastating harms that our country committed in Vietnam did not end in 1975.

00:37The U.S. exposed millions of people in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos to deadly

00:43toxins like Agent Orange, which to this day causes birth defects, Mr. Speaker, and

00:47deadly disease as well as premature death. For there to be any justice for the war

00:53crimes committed in Vietnam, the United States, our country, must devote itself to

00:57repair by cleaning these ongoing Agent Orange contamination sites, investing in

01:02medical care for those impacted, removing unexploded ordinances. Our country must never

01:09again commit these acts of violence anywhere. I ask my colleagues to please

01:12support this legislative package to bring justice for those victims of Agent Orange.

01:16This is the gentleman from California seek recognition.