Biden Signs Bill to Help Veterans Who Were Exposed to Toxic Burn Pits

WASHINGTON – President Biden signed a bill into law on Wednesday that expands medical benefits to veterans who were exposed to toxins from the burning of waste at military bases, thanks to support by veterans and their families. End a year’s search.

The issue is deeply personal for the president, who has long speculated that his son Beau developed brain cancer as a result of exposure to burn pits while serving in Iraq as a member of the Delaware National Guard. Before signing the law, Mr Biden described the long-lasting effects of the exposure.

“Poisonous smoke, thicker than poison, is spreading through the air and into the lungs of our soldiers,” he said. “When they came home, many of the fittest and best warriors we sent to battle were not the same. Headache, numbness, dizziness, cancer. My son Beau was one of them.”

In a ceremony filled with veterans and their families in the East Room of the White House, Mr Biden called for the progress of the new law toward fulfilling “a sacred obligation” to those protecting the nation and their families. The law passed despite last-minute delays by Republican senators who blocked its passage, but backtracked after a swift backlash.

“This is the most important legislation our country has passed to help the millions of veterans who come into contact with toxic substances during their military services,” Mr Biden said minutes later, adding: “This The law is pending for a long time. We finally got it done together.”

The law addresses the effects that some veterans suffer after sleeping and working near major fires at military bases where waste, including tyres, jet fuel, chemicals and other equipment, is burned, creating large clouds of smoke. Huh. Research suggests that the toxins in smoke may be responsible for a variety of diseases, including cancer, bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis, sleep apnea, bronchitis, and sinusitis.

The new law, known as the PACT Act, makes it easier for veterans who believe they were exposed to toxic substances during their service to apply for medical benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The law creates a $280 billion stream of federal funding, making it one of the largest expansions of veterans’ benefits in American history.

In his remarks, Mr Biden praised many years of work by family members and activists, lashing out at comedian Jon Stewart for his passionate and sometimes angry demands that politicians pass the bill.

“What you’ve done, John, matters, and you know it does,” Biden told Stewart, who was in the room for the signing ceremony. “You should know. It really, really matters. You refuse to forget someone. Refuse to forget them, and we’re so big of you, man.

Mr Stewart, who has been lobbying the bill for years, was particularly vocal last month when Republican senators abruptly refused to support the measure, citing concerns that it was structured as such. that could create a costly new right. The bill was passed in the House with overwhelming bipartisan support, and Republican senators who objected gave their firm support only weeks earlier.

Appearing on CNN after Republicans blocked the bill, Stewart was furious, which helped fuel a swift response that led to the bill’s final passage days after it was passed.

“I’m used to lying. I’m used to hypocrisy. I’m used to their cowardice,” Mr. Stewart told Jake Tapper on CNN’s “The Lead” program. “I’m not used to cruelty, accidental cruelty.”

In his remarks on Wednesday, Mr Biden did not mention the Republican handicap. Instead, he focused on the bipartisan nature of the agreement, citing its passage as evidence that he has done well to fulfill his promise to bridge the ideological divide in the nation’s capital.

“I don’t want the press telling me Democrats, Republicans can’t work together,” he said. “We got it done, and we did it together.”

Danielle Robinson, wife of Sgt. Heather Robinson, who died of lung cancer after serving in Iraq, spent years helping lead the fight for new veterans’ benefits. The law was named after her husband.

In her remarks at the White House, Ms Robinson described how her husband was diagnosed with cancer a decade after returning from the war. He thanked Mr Biden and other activists for prompting lawmakers to pass legislation that would make it easier to obtain medical treatment and benefits after similar exposure.

“So many veterans are still battling burn pit diseases today,” she said. “Many people have succumbed to those diseases as well. And I am honored to be with the father of another military family who understands the ultimate sacrifice like ours – our Commander in Chief, President Joe Biden.

Beau Biden died of brain cancer in 2015.