WASHINGTON–After serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait in the U.S. Army Reserves, Maj. Richard Star developed lung cancer linked to exposure to burn pits during that time overseas.
But when he returned home, Star learned that because he hadn’t completed 20 years of military service, he was not eligible to receive the full amount of his military retirement from the Pentagon plus his disability benefits from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Instead, the disability benefits would be deducted from his retirement.
Star and other veterans went to Washington to change this policy, arguing that combat-wounded veterans have earned both their retirement and disability pay through their sacrifices. But he never saw the change take effect. In 2021, he lost his fight with cancer.
But now the battle is continuing in Congress, with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) fighting to pass the Maj. Richard Star Act by unanimous consent, a process that streamlines passage of a bill if all 100 senators support it.
“Don’t tell me we can’t afford full compensation,” Blumenthal said outside the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon. “I don’t want to hear it. The Congress shouldn’t hear it. And the American people demand that we do the right thing,”
Despite having almost 80 Senate co-sponsors from both sides of the political aisle, previous attempts have failed after being blocked: first by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) in October of 2025, then again by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) in March.
Both Wicker and Johnson said on the floor that the act would grant veterans a “double benefit” and cited concerns over the cost, which is about $1 billion dollars a year over 10 years.
Blumenthal said the idea that the government can’t afford it is “absolutely wrong.” The veterans in attendance agreed.
“[It’s] shortsighted stinginess,” Blumenthal told Capital News Service. “Some of my colleagues are victims of their own rhetoric when it comes to the budget.”
William Brooks, who lost both of his legs over 20 years ago while serving in Iraq, sat beside the podium at Blumenthal’s news conference in his wheelchair with the sun beaming down on him, waiting for his turn to speak.
“Leaving part of your body on the battlefield should not result in you losing your retirement,” Brooks said. “Stop punishing veterans for giving it their all.”
Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), who has already proposed equivalent legislation in the House with more than 300 co-sponsors, also spoke at the news conference.
“Fiscal responsibility should never come at the expense of the men and women who have already sacrificed their health, their careers, in many ways their future earning potential, in defense of our freedom,” Bilirakis said.
If Blumenthal’s third attempt at getting unanimous consent in the Senate is successful, it would be up to Bilirakis and the House to pass the bill through a simple majority vote.
Michael Youngman, president of the Veterans Justice Alliance, said they hope the act can be passed by Memorial Day.