Senate OKs burn pit bill to expand benefits for veterans
PACT Act passes 86-11 after procedural delays
WASHINGTON – After years of activism and a brief kerfuffle over budget technicalities, the Senate passed the PACT Act, a bill that would ease access to medical care for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits.
The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 86-11 Tuesday, sending it to President Joe Biden who is likely to sign it into law. Republicans cast all 11 votes against the bill.
“This Senate is going to pass the most significant expansion of veteran health care benefits in generations,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor. “This is a very good day, a long awaited day, a day that should have happened long ago.”
What are burn pits?
Burn pits – open-air trash sites that dispose of military waste through burning – exposed about 3.5 million veterans to toxic chemicals that could result in respiratory illness or various forms of cancer, according to the Department of Defense.
Veterans have been denied disability benefits and medical care because there is a lack of concrete evidence directly linking burn pits with illness.
The PACT Act (Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics) would codify a relationship between specific illnesses and cancers with burn pits, lifting the burden of proof from veterans, who wouldn’t have to argue with the Department of Veterans Affairs to receive benefits.
What are people saying?
A statement released last month by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., criticized the bill’s cost, blaming a “budget gimmick” that would allow more “reckless spending” by Democrats. McCarthy was one of 88 no votes when the bill passed the House.
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, told USA TODAY, “It’s a huge victory for veterans. One of the most important things we’ve ever done for vets.”
On the Senate floor, Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., ranking member of the Veteran Affairs Committee, implored his colleagues to “deliver the most comprehensive toxic exposure package to veterans in our country’s history.”
Comedian and activist Jon Stewart has been one of the bill’s most outspoken supporters. In front of the Capitol on Monday, Stewart said, “We all owe a debt of gratitude to (veterans). And it’s about time we start paying it off.”
An issue close to Biden’s heart
Biden has a personal stake in the bill: Glioblastoma – which killed his son Beau, a major in the Army National Guard – is one of the cancers codified. In his State of the Union speech in March, Biden alluded to the possible link between burn pits and his son’s death.
“We don’t know for sure if a burn pit was the cause of his brain cancer, or the diseases of so many of our troops,” he said. “But I’m committed to finding out everything we can.”
Though research is still being conducted to establish whether there is a direct correlation, activists and Biden said action is needed now.
“When the evidence doesn’t give a clear answer ... the decision we should favor is caring for our veterans while we continue to learn more – not waiting,” Biden said in March on a visit to a VA clinic in Fort Worth, Texas.
Procedural hiccups
The bill had been scheduled to be signed into law before Congress’ Fourth of July recess but hit a procedural snag.
The Senate introduced a tax provision, but the Constitution says tax provisions must originate in the House.
Both chambers blamed each other for not noticing the hiccup and letting it pass. The House resolved the issue, sending the bill back to the Senate.
In June, the bill was blocked by 41 Republican senators over mandatory vs, discretionary spending.
Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., introduced an amendment he said would get rid of a “budgetary gimmick”and said delaying the bill was worth it to put a “spotlight” on Democrats. The amendment failed in a 47-48 vote when 60 votes were required.