Biden signs law to fund health benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits
Michael McAuliff, Dave Goldiner
President Biden signed into law a measure to improve federal health benefits for millions of veterans exposed to toxic smoke from burn pits while serving overseas.
In a ceremony that was equal parts a personal and political victory, Biden enacted the bill on Wednesday that he made a signature goal, not least because his late son, Beau Biden, died of cancer after serving in Kosovo and Iraq.
“We owe you,” Biden said in an emotional ceremony. “You’re the backbone. You’re the steel. You’re the sinew. You’re the very fiber that makes this country what it is.”
President Joe Biden holds the "PACT Act of 2022" after signing it during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022, in Washington.
President Joe Biden holds the "PACT Act of 2022" after signing it during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022, in Washington. (Evan Vucci/)
Biden was introduced by Danielle Robinson, the widow of Sgt. 1st Class Heath Robinson, who died of cancer two years ago. The legislation is named for him.
“Ours is just one story,” Robinson said. “So many military families have had to fight this terrible emotional battle. So many veterans are still battling burn pit illnesses today.”
Biden addressed Robinson’s 9-year-old daughter, Brielle directly. “I know you miss your daddy. But he’s with you all the time,” he said. “He’s inside you. He’s going to whisper in your ear when you have hard decisions to make.”
Then he pointed out that Brielle was sitting next to his grandson, the son of Beau Biden.
“His daddy lost to the same burn pits,” Biden said. “He knows what you’re going through.”
It was the most direct link the president has publicly drawn between Beau’s fatal brain cancer and burn pits. The president made addressing the problem one of his priorities during his State of the Union address in March
The bill marks the culmination of the years-long fight to help veterans exposed to toxic chemicals while serving abroad.
Burn pits were used in Iraq and Afghanistan to dispose of chemicals, cans, tires, plastics, medical equipment and human waste. However, 70% of disability claims involving exposure to the pits, were denied by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
A soldier in the Afghan National Army (ANA) walks past a burn pit at a command outpost recently handed over to the ANA from the United States Army on March 22, 2013 in Kandahar Province, Zhari District, Afghanistan.
A soldier in the Afghan National Army (ANA) walks past a burn pit at a command outpost recently handed over to the ANA from the United States Army on March 22, 2013 in Kandahar Province, Zhari District, Afghanistan. (Andrew Burton/)
The legislation will direct officials to assume that certain respiratory illnesses and cancers were related to burn pit exposure, helping veterans get disability payments without having to prove the illness was the result of their service.
“My message to 3.5 million veterans who are possibly affected by burn pits: Don’t be afraid to come forward, come forward,” said John Feal, a staunch advocate for veterans and 9/11 first responders.
“At last, today, we are honoring the service members and their families who have given everything for our country,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), who actively worked with colleagues and veterans alike to ensure passage of the bill
The legislation is projected to cost about $280 billion over the next decade.
Stewart enjoyed a shout-out from Biden as well as a standing ovation at the White House bill signing ceremony.
Eight-year-old Isabelle Cancelino called the ceremony a bittersweet moment as she recalled her late father, Joe Cancelino, an NYPD sergeant who died of a rare cancer after being stationed near a burn pit in Iraq.
“I’m sad my dad passed away, but that’s why we joined (the fight for) burn pits (legislation),” the little girl said.
New York City Mayor Adams said the impact would be felt widely in the five boroughs.
“Our veterans put their health and lives on the line to protect our freedoms. The PACT Act is the least we can do to honor and care for our nation’s bravest once they return home,” Adams said in a statement.
Although the provision involving burn pits has garnered the most attention, other health care services will be expanded as well.
(L-R) U.S. President Joe Biden and Brielle Robinson, daughter of the late Sgt. First Class Heath Robinson, look on as Danielle Robinson, widow of Sgt. First Class Heath Robinson, speaks during a signing ceremony for The PACT Act in the East Room of the White House on Aug. 10, 2022, in Washington, DC. The bill is the biggest expansion of veteran's benefits since the Agent Orange Act of 1991 and will expand health care benefits to millions of veterans exposed to toxic substances during their military service.
U.S. President Joe Biden (C) signs the PACT Act of 2022 into law during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on Aug. 10, 2022. The bill, officially titled the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promises to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022, will help veterans who are suffering after being exposed to toxic burn pits during military service.
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U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House March 8, 2022, in Washington, DC.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House March 8, 2022, in Washington, DC. During his remarks, Biden announced a full ban on imports of Russian oil and energy products as an additional step in holding Russia accountable for its invasion of Ukraine.
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U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the one-year anniversary of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol during a ceremony in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 06, 2022, in Washington, DC.
U.S. President Joe Biden (2nd L) and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (2nd R) meet with members of the White House COVID-19 Response Team on the latest developments related to the Omicron variant on Jan. 4, 2022, in the South Court Auditorium of the White House in Washington, DC. The U.S. recorded more than one million COVID-19 cases on Jan. 3, 2022, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, as the Omicron variant continues to spread at a blistering pace.
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U.S. President Joe Biden joins the White House COVID-19 Response Teams regular call with the National Governors Association to discuss his administration's response to the Omicron variant and to hear from the governors on the needs in their states at the White House in Washington, DC on Dec. 27, 2021.
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U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the Omicron COVID-19 variant following a meeting with his COVID-19 response team, including U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (L) and Anthony Fauci (R), Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Chief Medical Advisor to the President, at the White House on Nov. 29, 2021, in Washington, DC.
Anthony Fauci (R), Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Chief Medical Advisor to the President, speaks alongside U.S. President Joe Biden as he delivers remarks on the Omicron COVID-19 variant following a meeting of the COVID-19 response team at the White House on Nov. 29, 2021, in Washington, DC. The World Health Organization designated it a variant of concern after South African officials discovered the variant last week.
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U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks ahead of receiving a third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the South Court Auditorium in the White House on Sept. 27, 2021, in Washington, DC.
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President Joe Biden speaks during a virtual COVID-19 summit during the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021, in Washington.
President Joe Biden speaks during a virtual COVID-19 summit during the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021, in Washington.
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President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on Aug. 27, 2021.
U.S. President Joe Biden pauses while listening to a question from a reporter about the situation in Afghanistan in the East Room of the White House on Aug. 26, 2021, in Washington, DC. At least 12 American service members were killed on Thursday by suicide bomb attacks near the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.
President Joe Biden takes questions from the press as he delivers remarks on the terror attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport, and the U.S. service members and Afghan victims killed and wounded, in the East Room of the White House, Washington, DC on Aug. 26, 2021.
President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the full FDA approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus on Monday, Aug. 23, 2021, in Washington.
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks about the situation in Afghanistan in the East Room of the White House on Aug. 16, 2021, in Washington, DC.
President Joe Biden gestures as he gives remarks on the worsening crisis in Afghanistan from the East Room of the White House on Aug. 16, 2021, in Washington, DC. Biden cut his vacation in Camp David short to address the nation as the Taliban have seized control in Afghanistan two weeks before the U.S. is set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war.
In this photo released by The White House, President Joe Biden meets virtually with his national security team and senior officials for a briefing on Afghanistan on Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021, at Camp David, Md.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a ceremony commemorating the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 26, 2021.
U.S. President Joe Biden signs a proclamation to commemorate the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), alongside artist Tyree Brown (L), U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (2L), Democrat of Vermont, former U.S. Representative Tony Coelho (3L), Democrat of California, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (3R), Democrat of Maryland, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (2R) and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (R), during a ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, July 26, 2021.
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President Joe Biden, surrounded by members of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, speaks during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, Tuesday, July 20, 2021, where the president honored the Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their Super Bowl LV victory.
President Joe Biden, surrounded by members of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, listens as Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady speaks during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington on Tuesday, July 20, 2021, where Biden honored the Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their Super Bowl LV victory.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks briefly to reporters after having lunch with Senate Democrats at the U.S. Capitol on July 14, 2021, in Washington, DC. President Biden is on the Hill to discuss with Senate Democrats the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package they have reached overnight that would expand Medicare benefits, boost federal safety net programs and combat climate change.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during an East Room event on troop withdrawal from Afghanistan at the White House on July 8, 2021, in Washington, DC. President Biden spoke on the current situation and the role of the U.S. going forward in Afghanistan after he had a meeting this morning with his national security team to receive a periodic update regarding the troop withdrawal.
Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. stand and applaud as President Joe Biden addresses a joint session of Congress, Wednesday, April 28, 2021, in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
Republican members listen as President Joe Biden addresses a joint session of Congress, Wednesday, April 28, 2021, in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
President Joe Biden elbow bumps with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., left, as he arrives to address a joint session of Congress, Wednesday, April 28, 2021, in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Vice President Kamala Harris stands and applauds.
President Joe Biden arrives to speak to a joint session of Congress, Wednesday, April 28, 2021, in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
President Joe Biden addresses a joint session of Congress, Wednesday, April 28, 2021, in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, as Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., stand and applaud.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about updated CDC mask guidance on the North Lawn of the White House on April 27, 2021, in Washington, DC. President Biden announced updated CDC guidance, saying vaccinated Americans do not need to wear a mask outside when in small groups.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about updated CDC mask guidance on the North Lawn of the White House on April 27, 2021, in Washington, DC.
President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in the Oval Office of the White House on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in Washington. Biden said Tuesday that he is "praying the verdict is the right verdict" in the trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Dereck Chauvin.
President Joe Biden, alongside First Lady Jill Biden (L) and the Easter Bunny (R), speaks about the Easter holiday and the traditional White House Easter Egg roll, which was not held this year because of coronavirus, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on April 5, 2021.
President Joe Biden speaks, alongside First Lady Jill Biden (L) and the Easter Bunny (C), about the Easter holiday and the traditional White House Easter Egg roll, which was not held this year because of COVID-19, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on April 5, 2021.
U.S. President Joe Biden signs a proclamation to mark Equal Pay Day with soccer superstars Margaret Purce (L) and Megan Rapinoe, with members of the U.S. Soccer Women’s National Team joining virtually, in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on March 24, 2021, in Washington, DC. Highlighting the gender pay gap, Equal Pay Day raises awareness that women in the United States earned $0.82 for every dollar men earned in 2019, according to the National Committee on Pay Equity.
Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Cup champion soccer player Megan Rapinoe delivers remarks during an event to mark Equal Pay Day with U.S. President Joe Biden (L) and first lady Dr. Jill Biden in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on March 24, 2021, in Washington, DC. Highlighting the gender pay gap, Equal Pay Day raises awareness that women in the United States earned $0.82 for every dollar men earned in 2019, according to the National Committee on Pay Equity.
President Joe Biden (R) looks at First Lady Jill Biden (L) and soccer players Margaret Purce (C) and Megan Rapinoe (2nd R), after signing a proclamation marking National Equal Pay Day 2021, during an Equal Pay Day event in the South Court Auditorium of the White House in Washington DC, on March 24, 2021.
President Joe Biden speaks about the shooting in Boulder, Colo. on Tuesday, March 23, 2021, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington.
President Joe Biden speaks during a virtual meeting with Ireland's Prime Minister Micheal Martin on St. Patrick's Day in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday, March 17, 2021, in Washington.
U.S. President Joe Biden attends a virtual meeting with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on March 1, 2021, in Washington, DC.
U.S. President Joe Biden (L) and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas (C) attend a virtual meeting with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (on monitor) in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on March 1, 2021, in Washington, DC.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau deliver opening statements via video link in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 23, 2021, in Washington, DC. U.S. presidents by tradition invite the Canadian prime minister for their first meeting with a world leader. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forced the meeting to be held virtually.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (L), and President Joe Biden participate in a virtual bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Feb. 23, 2021, in Washington, DC. This is Biden and Trudeau’s first bilateral meeting.
President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris (2nd L), National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (L), Secretary of State Antony Blinken (2nd R) and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Juan Gonzalez (R) hold a virtual bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (on screen) in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC on Feb. 23, 2021.
President Biden speaks about lives lost to coronavirus after the death toll passed 500,000 in the U.S. in the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington, DC, on Feb. 22, 2021. President Joe Biden called the milestone of more than 500,000 U.S. deaths from COVID-19 "heartbreaking" on Monday and urged the country to unite against the pandemic. "I know what it's like," an emotional Biden said in a national television address, referring to his own long history of family tragedies.
(L-R) U.S. President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff participate in a moment of silence at sundown in the South Portico of the White House on Feb. 22, 2021, in Washington, DC. The four held a candlelight ceremony to mark the more than 500,000 lives lost in the U.S. to COVID-19 since the pandemic hit.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris meet with senators from both parties on the critical need to invest in modern and sustainable American infrastructure in the Oval Office of the White House on Feb. 11, 2021, in Washington, DC. An infrastructure bill that creates jobs remains a top priority of the Biden administration.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris meet with senators from both parties on the critical need to invest in modern and sustainable American infrastructure in the Oval Office of the White House on Feb. 11, 2021, in Washington, DC.
U.S. President Joe Biden (Center R) and Vice President Kamala Harris (Center L) meet with 10 Republican senators, including Mitt Romney (R-UT), Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Susan Collins (R-ME), in the Oval Office at the White House on Feb. 1, 2021, in Washington, DC.
U.S. President Joe Biden (Center R) and Vice President Kamala Harris (Center L) meet with 10 Republican senators, including Mitt Romney (R-UT), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and others, in the Oval Office at the White House Feb. 1, 2021, in Washington, DC. The senators requested a meeting with Biden to propose a scaled-back $618 billion stimulus plan in response to the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package Biden is currently pushing in Congress.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about climate change issues in the State Dining Room of the White House on Jan. 27, 2021, in Washington, DC. President Biden signed several executive orders related to the climate change crisis on Wednesday, including one directing a pause on new oil and natural gas leases on public lands.
U.S. President Joe Biden signs executive orders after speaking about climate change issues in the State Dining Room of the White House on Jan. 27, 2021, in Washington, DC.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about climate change issues in the State Dining Room of the White House on Jan. 27, 2021, in Washington, DC. President Biden signed several executive orders related to the climate change crisis on Wednesday, including one directing a pause on new oil and natural gas leases on public lands. Also pictured, left to right, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.
President Joe Biden signs an Executive Order reversing the Trump-era ban on transgender individuals serving in the military in the Oval Office of the White House on Monday, Jan. 25, 2021, in Washington.
President Joe Biden meets with, from left, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 25, 2021, in Washington.
President Joe Biden speaks during an event on American manufacturing in the South Court Auditorium on the White House complex on Monday, Jan. 25, 2021, in Washington.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden watch fireworks light up the sky from the White House on Inauguration Day on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington.
President Joe Biden signs his first executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington.
President Joe Biden signs his first executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington.
President Joe Biden signs his first executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington.
The Oval Office of the White House is newly redecorated for the first day of President Joe Biden's administration, including busts of civil rights leaders Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr. and a bust of Abraham Lincoln, on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington.
President Joe Biden speaks during a virtual swearing-in ceremony of political appointees from the State Dining Room of the White House on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden hug as they arrive at the North Portico of the White House, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington.
President Joe Biden signs three documents including an inauguration declaration, cabinet nominations and sub-cabinet nominations in the President's Room at the U.S. Capitol after the inauguration ceremony on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021.
President Joe Biden signs three documents including an inauguration declaration, cabinet nominations and sub-cabinet nominations in the President's Room at the US Capitol after the inauguration ceremony, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021.
Veterans who have served since the Sept. 11 attacks will have a decade to sign up for VA health care, double the current five years.
The legislation also benefits Vietnam War veterans, adding hypertension to the list of ailments presumed to be caused by Agent Orange, a herbicide used by the U.S. military to clear vegetation.
In addition, veterans who served during the war in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Guam, American Samoa and Johnston Atoll will also be considered to have been exposed to the chemical.
The legislation is considered to be the largest expansion of veterans’ health care in more than three decades, but it became an unlikely political football shortly before it passed.
