The Association of the United States Navy is pleased to announced that Sen. Steve Daines (MT) will be honored at the annual Capitol Hill Reception on May 1, and the Senator has confirmed he will accept the award in person.
He will join Rep. Joe Courtney (CT) at the reception as AUSN’s two honorees this year. The event will take place from 5-7 p.m. in Room 2060 at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. It is free to attend, and you can register here.
Sen. Daines is being honored for his tireless work in support of the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, which would provide benefits to Navy veterans who did not set foot on the ground in Vietnam but were exposed to the herbicide Agent Orange while on ship. In December, he delivered a spirited plea at a press conference — alongside Sens. Tester and Gillibrand — asking that the bill be released from committee so the full Senate could vote on it.
While the effort was ultimately unsuccessful, the fight has begun anew for the bill in 2019 and we believe, with the Procopio decision and the support of Sen. Daines and others, that we can finally pass this bipartisan bill and get Navy Vietnam veterans the benefits they deserve.
We are pleased to honor Sen. Daines for helping to lead the charge for Blue Water Navy veterans across the nation.
