WASHINGTON — More than 3.5 million veterans who were exposed to toxic substances on overseas deployments will gain easier access to health and disability benefits under a bill that cleared the Senate on Tuesday.
The 86-11 vote ended weeks of delay that began with a constitutional concern over an obscure tax provision that had to be removed. And the holdup grew longer after an eleventh-hour objection from Republican senators last week who pushed for an amendment to change how some Department of Veterans Affairs health care spending is accounted for in the budget.
President Joe Biden is certain to sign the bill into law in the coming days.
