Thomas Daschle: “as a requirement of the 1991 Agent Orange Act, after a thorough analysis of all relevant scientific evidence, the…”

“as a requirement of the 1991 Agent Orange Act, after a thorough analysis of all relevant scientific evidence, the National Academy of Sciences announced in March a link between agent orange exposure and the presence of spina bifida in offspring. My amendment would extend health care, vocational rehabilitation, and monetary benefits to Vietnam veterans' children born with spina bifida, a serious birth defect that requires lifelong medical care. It is completely paid for with a non-controversial savings provision. While this should be an honest vote on the proposal itself, some have chosen to cloak it in a procedural question. I ask my colleagues to vote against the germaneness point of order. Of all amendments we have debated and voted on today, this amendment is clearly a veterans' issue on this veterans' bill. I yield the floor.”