President Joe Biden will soon sign legislation that will give easier access to health and disability benefits to more than 3.5 million veterans who were exposed to toxic substances on overseas deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan and more. It wasn’t easy to get through Congress. The Senate passed that bill after weeks of delay, and not before high-profile advocacy from comedian Jon Stewart and others. But underneath those bigger headlines, folded into the bill is a provision allowing families poisoned for decades at the Marine Corps’ Camp Lejeune to get compensation from the federal government. Todd Ruger, legal affairs editor at CQ Roll Call, discusses this story with Mike Magner, an editor at CQ Roll Call who has followed the stories of families from Camp Lejeune.

Show Notes:

• Long push for Camp Lejeune toxic water lawsuits clears Congress
• Veterans toxic exposure bill clears Senate after tortuous path
• The ‘Polluted Legacy’ of Camp Lejeune
• Capitol Lens | Veterans benefits action
• Toxic exposure bill would rewrite America’s compact with veterans