Lawmakers Pass Bill to Compensate Victims of “Havana Syndrome”

The House passed bipartisan legislation on Tuesday, September 20, 2021to compensate victims of the Havana Syndrome, a mysterious illness that started affecting U.S. personnel in 2016 in Cuba. The bill, entitled the Helping American Victims Afflicted by Neurological Attacks (HAVANA) Act of 2021, passed the Senate on June 7, 2021, and now moves to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.

According to Senator Collins’ office, starting in 2016, more than 40 U.S. embassy staffers in Havana Cuba have reported illness with symptoms including severe headaches, dizziness, tinnitus, visual and hearing problems, vertigo, and cognitive difficulties. Since 2016, hundreds of U.S. personnel at embassies around the world have displayed similar symptoms and many affected personnel continued to experience health problems years after the attacks.

While the exact cause of the Havana Syndrome is unknown, many believe it can be caused by directed energy attacks. The bill would authorize the CIA Director, the Secretary of State, and other agency heads to provide financial and medical support for those effected by the attacks.

Most recently, a member of CIA Director Bill Burns’ team traveled to India where he began exhibiting symptoms of the Syndrome. Last month, Vice-President Kamala Harris was supposed to travel to Vietnam, but her trip was delayed after U.S. personnel reported symptoms there.

The bill was approved by House lawmakers in a 427-0 vote and was already unanimously passed in the Senate.

Any benefits paid to affected government employees should be treated as payments received as compensation for worker compensation acts for taxation purposes.

Government agencies have continued to issue warnings for personnel traveling abroad, warning them about anomalous health incidents involving strange sounds or a sensation of heat or pressure followed by headache, nausea, vertigo and other symptoms.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, emphasized the importance of the bill to compensate victims. He said, "The people who serve our nation overseas are generally worried for themselves and their families. And they need to know that we have their backs."