{"id":21713,"date":"2022-03-08T23:05:32","date_gmt":"2022-03-08T23:05:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/03\/08\/biden-vows-action-not-waiting-for-veterans-suffering-from-burn-pit-illnesses\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T06:04:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T06:04:59","slug":"biden-vows-action-not-waiting-for-veterans-suffering-from-burn-pit-illnesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2022\/03\/08\/biden-vows-action-not-waiting-for-veterans-suffering-from-burn-pit-illnesses\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden calls caring for burn pit illnesses a \u2018sacred obligation\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2022\/03\/01\/biden-vows-va-will-do-better-on-veterans-burn-pit-illnesses\/\" target=\"_blank\">President Joe Biden<\/a> on Tuesday continued his push for improved benefits for veterans suffering the ill-effects of toxic exposure from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/burn-pits\/\" target=\"_blank\">burn pit smoke<\/a>, calling it part of the country\u2019s \u201csacred obligation\u201d to care for individuals who served in the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a speech before veterans and Veterans Affairs staffers in Fort Worth, Texas, the commander-in-chief said for too long the serious health effects of military toxic exposure have been either partially addressed or ignored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He acknowledged that research on the health effects of the waste pit smoke is still unsettled, but said that was no excuse for inaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen the scientific evidence doesn\u2019t give a clear answer one way or another, we should favor caring for our veterans while we continue to learn more, not waiting,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/03\/03\/plan-to-give-new-benefits-to-burn-pits-victims-passes-house-faces-difficult-path-ahead\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_1485.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Plan to give new benefits to burn pits victims passes House, faces difficult path ahead<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The move comes just days after President Joe Biden urged Congress to provide more help for veterans suffering from the toxic smoke.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur troops came home [from Iraq and Afghanistan] and the fittest among them, the greatest fighting force in the history of the world, too many of them were not the same. Headaches, dizziness, numbness, cancer \u2026 We\u2019re not waiting anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The comments came one week after Biden discussed the issue of military toxic exposure in his State of the Union address, devoting several minutes of the hour-long national address to veterans care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In that speech, Biden implored Congress to pass new legislation providing more medical care and support services for veterans exposed to burn pit smoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two days later, the House passed a comprehensive military toxic exposure bill (dubbed the PACT Act) over significant opposition from Republican lawmakers worried about the scope and cost of the measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Texas, Biden called the measure and a smaller bill approved by the Senate in February \u201cnecessary care for veterans and their families\u201d and asked lawmakers to \u201cget those bills on my desk so I can sign them immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But finding compromise on the legislation will likely take several more months of negotiation between House and Senate lawmakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/burn-pits\/2008\/11\/03\/harmless-or-hazardous-troops-say-chemicals-and-medical-waste-burned-at-balad-are-making-them-sick-but-officials-deny-risk\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/burn-pit-balad-air-base-dvids-march-2008-file-dvids.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Harmless or hazardous? Troops say chemicals and medical waste burned at Balad are making them sick, but officials deny risk<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">An open-air burn pit at the largest U.S. base in Iraq may have exposed thousands of troops to harmful poisons, documents gathered by Military Times shows.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the meantime, VA officials are proposing new action to recognize several rare respiratory illnesses and cancers as presumed caused by burn pit exposure. That work is in addition to moves by the department last August, where officials for the first time established presumptive status for individuals exposed to burn pits who later contracted asthma, rhinitis and sinusitis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">VA Secretary Denis McDonough said about 12,500 veterans have received care and benefits for those conditions since last summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s our job to provide those vets with benefits and care for those conditions,\u201d he told the crowd before the president\u2019s speech. \u201cBut for far too long, those vets haven\u2019t gotten what they deserve. President Biden has made it clear that those days are over.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/08\/02\/for-first-time-some-burn-pit-victims-will-get-presumptive-status-for-disability-benefits\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/201595.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">For first time, some burn pit victims will get presumptive status for disability benefits<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">An estimated 3.5 million veterans suffered some burn pit exposure overseas during deployments in the last 20 years.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before the event, Biden and McDonough toured the Fort Worth VA Clinic, meeting with staff and patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Biden \u2014 whose son, Beau, served in the Delaware Army Delaware Army National Guard and died of brain cancer in 2015 \u2014 said that he sympathizes with the families struggling with the after-effects of war, and said the government needs to do a better job anticipating their needs instead of reacting to serious injuries and illnesses too late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEvery single, solitary veteran deserves to be treated with dignity,\u201d he said. \u201cThey shouldn\u2019t have to ask for a damn thing. It should be \u2018I\u2019ve got a problem,\u2019 and we should say, \u201cHow can we help?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a speech to veterans in Texas, the president continued his push to improve benefits and care for those who served alongside burning waste pits in Iraq and Afghanistan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":47137,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":19,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,23,89,12,26,62,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3222],"class_list":["post-21713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"B7FGBZ66FBH75KJ2TVE6WR2MOA","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/burn-pits\/2022\/03\/08\/biden-vows-action-not-waiting-for-veterans-suffering-from-burn-pit-illnesses\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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