US Senate OKs Bill To Financially Support Public Servants Affected By 'Havana Syndrome'

The US Senate has unanimously passed a bill to provide additional financial assistance to federal employees who suffered from a set of health issues in diplomatic missions abroad, collectively referred to as "Havana syndrome," the office of Republican Susan Collins, one of the document's sponsors, has announced

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th June, 2021) The US Senate has unanimously passed a bill to provide additional financial assistance to Federal employees who suffered from a set of health issues in diplomatic missions abroad, collectively referred to as "Havana syndrome," the office of Republican Susan Collins, one of the document's sponsors, has announced.

"[T]he Senate unanimously passed legislation to support American public servants who have incurred brain injuries from likely directed energy attacks. The Helping American Victims Afflicted by Neurological Attacks (HAVANA) Act, which was authored by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) [among others] ... would authorize additional financial support for injured individuals," the office said on Monday.

The legislation is set to give the US leadership, including the heads of the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of State, as well as of other agencies, additional powers to provide financial and medical support to those having health issues as a result of some unidentified acoustic attack.

"I am pleased that there has been widespread, bipartisan support for my bill, which will provide additional support to these government employees who were harmed while representing our interests. We also need a whole-of-government approach to determine what this weapon is and who is wielding it in order to prevent future attacks and protect Americans," Collins said, as quoted in a press release.

US diplomats in Cuba suffered from the so-called Havana syndrome back in 2016 and 2017. Similar medical symptoms were reported among US diplomatic staffers in China in 2018. Though Washington assumed the diplomats could have been exposed to some unidentified acoustic attack, it did not reach a definite conclusion on what exactly caused the syndrome. Similar accusations against Russia emerge in US media outlets from time to time, with Moscow repeatedly rejecting them.