I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3051 
To direct the Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
Development, or its successor, and the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services to provide assistance for individuals affected by exposure to 
Agent Orange, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 28, 2025 
Ms. TLAIB (for herself, Ms. SIMON, Mr. NADLER, Mr. THANEDAR, Mr. CAR-
SON, and Ms. MCBRIDE) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee 
on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by 
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall with-
in the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To direct the Administrator of the United States Agency 
for International Development, or its successor, and the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide as-
sistance for individuals affected by exposure to Agent 
Orange, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Victims of Agent Or-
ange Act of 2025’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings: 
(1) 
From 
1961 
to 
1971, 
approximately 
19,000,000 gallons of 15 different herbicides were 
sprayed over the southern region of Vietnam by the 
United States military. 
(2) The herbicides included 13,000,000 gallons 
of Agent Orange, 4,500,000 gallons of Agent White, 
1,000,000 gallons of Agent Blue, 420,000 gallons of 
Agent Purple, and relatively smaller quantities of 
the other herbicides. Many of the herbicides, includ-
ing Agents Orange, Purple, Green, Pink, Dinoxol, 
and Trinoxol, contained the toxic contaminant dioxin 
(TCDD). Agent Blue contained high levels of ar-
senic. The 15 herbicides, including the contaminant 
dioxin, are usually collectively referred to as Agent 
Orange. 
(3) Between 1961 and 1971, nearly 20,000 
spraying missions were carried out in an area of 
about 12,600,000 hectares. This represented about 
12 percent of South Vietnam and portions of Laos 
and Cambodia. These amounts only account for the 
United States Air Force Operation Ranch Hand 
spraying and do not include the widespread use of 
Agent Orange by the Army Chemical Corps, Central 
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Intelligence Agency, and South Vietnamese Govern-
ment. 
(4) Studies have found that between 2,100,000 
and 4,800,000 Vietnamese, Lao, and Cambodian 
people and tens of thousands of Americans were ex-
posed to Agent Orange during the spraying oper-
ations. Many other Vietnamese people were or con-
tinue to be exposed to Agent Orange through con-
tact with the environment and food that was con-
taminated. Many offspring of those who were ex-
posed have birth defects, developmental disabilities, 
and other diseases. 
(5) Today, there are still dozens of herbicide 
hotspots that continue to contaminate the food, soil, 
sediment, livestock, and wildlife with Agent Orange. 
Concentrations of TCDD as high as 1,000 mg/kg 
have been found in soil and sediment samples more 
than 50 years after Agent Orange was sprayed in 
Vietnam. 
(6) Since 2007, the United States has provided 
assistance to Vietnam in remediating Agent Orange 
contamination at the largest of these hotspots, which 
are the airbases that handled the spray missions. 
The contamination at the Da Nang Airport has been 
fully cleaned up, and the United States has com-
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mitted funds to contribute to cleaning up the Bien 
Hoa Airbase, which has the most wide-spread herbi-
cide contamination in Vietnam. There are at least 
two dozen other smaller hotspots scattered through-
out southern and central Vietnam that also must be 
remediated, since they continue to expose local popu-
lations to dioxin and arsenic. 
(7) Agent Orange exposure continues to nega-
tively affect the lives of veterans of the United 
States Armed Forces, Vietnamese people, Viet-
namese Americans, and their children. The lives of 
many victims are cut short, and others live with dis-
ease, disabilities, and pain, which are often un-
treated or unrecognized. 
(8) The Department of Veterans Affairs recog-
nizes 19 illnesses and diseases, including AL amyloi-
dosis, bladder cancer, chronic B- cell leukemia, 
chloracne, diabetes mellitus type 2, high blood pres-
sure 
(hypertension), 
Hodgkin’s 
disease, 
hypothyroidism, ischemic heart disease, monoclonal 
gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), 
multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Par-
kinson’s disease, Parkinsonism, acute and sub-acute 
peripheral neuropathy, porphyria cutanea tarda, 
prostate cancer, respiratory cancers, and soft-tissue 
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sarcomas associated with the spraying and use of 
Agent Orange by the United States Armed Forces 
during the Vietnam era. 
(9) No similar recognition has been given to af-
fected Vietnamese or Vietnamese Americans. 
(10) The Department of Veterans Affairs pro-
vides compensation for many severe birth defects 
among the children of United States women veterans 
who served in Vietnam. The list of birth defects cov-
ered includes, but is not limited to, achondroplasia, 
cleft lip, cleft palate, congenital heart disease, con-
genital talipes equinovarus (clubfoot), esophageal 
and intestinal atresia, Hallerman-Streiff syndrome, 
hip dysplasia, Hirschsprung’s disease (congenital 
megacolon), hydrocephalus due to aqueductal ste-
nosis, hypospadias, imperforate anus, neural tube 
defects, 
Poland 
syndrome, 
pyloric 
stenosis, 
syndactyly (fused digits), tracheoesophageal fistula, 
undescended testes, and Williams syndrome. Af-
fected children of these women veterans receive med-
ical care and other benefits. However, the care and 
compensation provided by the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs to the covered children of United 
States veterans is insufficient to meet their needs re-
lated to Agent Orange. 
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(11) The only birth defect recognized for the 
children of male American veterans is spina bifida 
(but not occulta). However, many children of male 
Vietnam war veterans have the same range of birth 
defects and diseases as seen in the children of fe-
male Vietnam war veterans. This discrepancy results 
in most Agent Orange affected children of United 
States veterans receiving no care or benefits. 
(12) No assistance has been given to the chil-
dren of male or female Vietnamese or Vietnamese 
Americans connected with their exposure, or their 
parents’ or grandparents’ exposure. 
(13) The Institute of Medicine for the past sev-
eral years has noted that ‘‘it is considerably more 
plausible than previously believed that exposure to 
the herbicides sprayed in Vietnam might have 
caused paternally mediated transgenerational effects 
attributable to the TCCD contaminant in Agent Or-
ange’’. In recent years, scientific studies have identi-
fied likely epigenetic links between exposure to tox-
ins and birth defects and developmental disorders in 
subsequent generations. Some of the children and 
grandchildren of exposed persons (Americans, Viet-
namese, and Vietnamese Americans) who were in 
southern Vietnam during the Vietnam war era likely 
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suffer from disorders, birth defects, and illnesses re-
lated to Agent Orange. 
(14) The assistance that the United States has 
provided for environmental remediation of contami-
nation at the Da Nang and Bien Hoa airports has, 
in recent years, included funds for public health and 
disabilities activities for individuals residing in some 
affected areas. 
(15) Laos and Cambodia were also sprayed 
with Agent Orange during the Vietnam war era. At 
least 527,000 gallons of Agent Orange were sprayed 
in Laos and significant amounts were also sprayed 
in Cambodia. Affected Lao and Cambodian people 
over several generations suffer from medical condi-
tions, birth defects, and disabilities similar to those 
seen in Vietnam and the United States. The United 
States has the responsibility to take action to miti-
gate and provide compensation for those effects. 
Further action will be needed to ascertain and effec-
tively address this legacy of the Vietnam war. 
(b) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act to ad-
dress and remediate the ongoing damage that arose or will 
continue to arise from the use of Agent Orange during 
the Vietnam war. 
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SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE FOR INDIVIDUALS AFFECTED BY 
HEALTH ISSUES RELATED TO EXPOSURE TO 
AGENT ORANGE. 
(a) FOR COVERED INDIVIDUALS.—The Adminis-
trator of the United States Agency for International De-
velopment, or its successor, in coordination with the heads 
of other appropriate Federal agencies and nongovern-
mental organizations, shall provide assistance to address 
the health care needs of covered individuals. Such assist-
ance may include the provision of medical and chronic care 
services, nursing services, vocational employment training, 
and medical equipment. 
(b) FOR CAREGIVERS.—The Administrator of the 
United States Agency for International Development, or 
its successor, in coordination with the heads of other ap-
propriate Federal agencies and nongovernmental organi-
zations, shall provide assistance to institutions in Vietnam 
that provide health care for covered individuals. Such as-
sistance may include— 
(1) medicines and medical equipment; 
(2) custodial care, home care, respite care, and 
daycare programs; 
(3) training programs for caregivers; 
(4) medical and physical rehabilitation, and 
counseling services and equipment for illnesses and 
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deformities associated with exposure to Agent Or-
ange; and 
(5) reconstructive surgical programs. 
(c) FOR HOUSING AND POVERTY REDUCTION.—The 
Administrator of the United States Agency for Inter-
national Development, or its successor, in coordination 
with the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies and 
nongovernmental organizations shall provide— 
(1) assistance to institutions in Vietnam that 
repair and rebuild substandard homes in Vietnam 
for covered individuals and the families of covered 
individuals; and 
(2) micro grants and loans to facilitate subsist-
ence payments and poverty reduction for covered in-
dividuals and families of covered individuals. 
(d) FOR ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator of the 
United States Agency for International Develop-
ment, or its successor, in coordination with the 
heads of other appropriate Federal agencies and 
nongovernmental organizations shall provide assist-
ance to remediate those geographic areas of Vietnam 
that the Secretary determines contain high levels of 
Agent Orange. 
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(2) PRIORITY.—In providing assistance under 
this subsection, the Administrator shall give priority 
to heavily sprayed areas, including areas that served 
as military bases where Agent Orange was handled, 
and areas where heavy spraying, spills, or air crash-
es resulted in harmful deposits of Agent Orange. 
(e) ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITIES.—The Adminis-
trator shall— 
(1) provide assistance under this section (other 
than assistance under subsection (d)) through ap-
propriate Vietnamese community and nongovern-
mental organizations and Vietnamese public agen-
cies; 
(2) provide assistance under this section to af-
fected persons in all areas of Vietnam, including 
rural, mountainous, and urban areas; and 
(3) seek out and actively encourage other bilat-
eral donors as well as United States and foreign 
business enterprises in Vietnam to support the goals 
of this section through development assistance and 
corporate philanthropy programs. 
(f) COVERED INDIVIDUAL DEFINED.—In this sec-
tion, the term ‘‘covered individual’’ means an individual 
who— 
(1) is a resident of Vietnam; and 
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(2)(A) is affected by health issues related to ex-
posure to Agent Orange which took place during the 
period beginning on January 1, 1961, and ending on 
May 7, 1975, or who lives or has lived in or near 
those geographic areas in Vietnam that continue to 
contain high levels of Agent Orange as described in 
subsection (d); or 
(B) is the child or descendant of an individual 
described in subparagraph (A), and is affected by 
health issues described in subparagraph (A). 
SEC. 4. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 
HEALTH ASSESSMENT AND ASSISTANCE FOR 
VIETNAMESE AMERICANS. 
(a) HEALTH ASSESSMENT.—The Secretary of Health 
and Human Services shall make grants to appropriate 
public health organizations and Vietnamese American or-
ganizations for the purpose of conducting a broad health 
assessment of Vietnamese Americans who may have been 
exposed to Agent Orange and their children or descend-
ants to determine the effects to their health of such expo-
sure. 
(b) ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services shall establish centers in locations in the 
United States where large populations of Vietnamese 
Americans reside for the purpose of providing assessment, 
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counseling, and treatment for conditions related to expo-
sure to Agent Orange. The Secretary may carry out this 
subsection through appropriate community and non-
governmental organizations or other suitable organiza-
tions, as determined by the Secretary. 
SEC. 5. DEADLINE FOR IMPLEMENTATION. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Administrator of the United States Agency 
for International Development, or its successor, and the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services shall each com-
plete a plan for the implementation of the provisions of 
this Act, and the amendments made by this Act, that are 
applicable to such Secretary and shall issue a request for 
proposals, if applicable. The Administrator of the United 
States Agency for International Development, or its suc-
cessor, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
shall each implement the applicable provisions of this Act 
by not later than 18 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act. 
SEC. 6. QUARTERLY REPORTS. 
Not later than 30 days after the last day of each fis-
cal quarter beginning on or after 18 months after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the United 
States Agency for International Development, or its suc-
cessor, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
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shall each submit to Congress a report on the implementa-
tion of the provisions of this Act applicable to such Sec-
retary during the immediately preceding fiscal quarter. 
SEC. 7. DEFINITION. 
For purposes of this Act, the term ‘‘Agent Orange’’ 
includes any chemical compound which became part, ei-
ther by design or through impurities, of an herbicide agent 
used in support of the United States and allied military 
operations in the Republic of Vietnam. 
Æ 
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