WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives is set to vote next week on the most ambitious legislation regarding military toxic exposure since the Vietnam War.
The landmark "Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2021" or "Honoring our PACT Act of 2021" would secure benefits and primary care for veterans exposed to toxic substances while serving overseas.
It would cover veterans dating back to 1991 and Operation Desert Storm, through America's more recent post-9/11 conflicts.
"And really, if you served in Iraq and Afghanistan, you probably went through a base where there was a burn pit being used," said Jeremy Butler, Chief Executive Officer of Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America.
The most significant portion of the bill would require the Veterans Affairs Department to recognize that all troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan were exposed to poisonous emissions from burn pits and other airborne hazards during deployments.
To date, over 240,000 veterans have signed up for the VA's burn pit registry but 70% of burn pit claims have been denied.
"Those men and women defended our country overseas, and they are suffering," said veterans advocate and comedian Jon Stewart, who spoke Tuesday as a panelist during a House Veterans Affairs Committee roundtable.
The bill would expand the VA's benefits and services to roughly 3.5 million veterans. The legislation establishes a list of 23 cancers and respiratory illnesses presumed to be linked to toxic smoke.
But it won' be cheap. The Congressional Budget Office says it will cost $84.9 billion in the first four years and $281.5 billion through 2031.
"We can find a way to pay for this bill, once we make it clear to the American people and remind the American people of the promise we made to our service members," said the Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Rep. Mark Takano (D-California).
Despite concerns over the bill's price tag, last June, the measure passed in the House Veterans Affairs Committee on a 14 to 11 vote.