At the beginning of March, veterans groups and activists descended on Washington, D.C., to support the Honoring Our PACT Act. PACT stands for “Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics,” and it means exactly what you might think it means: addressing the needs of veterans whose health has been compromised by exposure to toxins while serving our country—specifically the practice of “burn pits.” This is an environmentally disastrous military practice of burning just about anything inside of a pit, which has resulted in thousands of veterans being exposed to the incineration of all kinds of waste, chemicals, and hazardous materials.
One of the main proponents for getting comprehensive health care legislation passed for our military veterans is comedian Jon Stewart. He has been a very eloquent and forceful critic of our country’s practice of spending boatloads of money sending military service members into combat and other dangerous scenarios, but then balking at the costs associated with the consequences of these actions. At the beginning of March, Stewart publicly chastised Republican attempts to water down the bill as it was passing through the House of Representatives. The bill passed even though 174 Republican representatives voted against protecting and helping veterans exposed to toxic burn pits.
On Tuesday, Stewart—along with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer—were flanked by veteran groups to once again plead their case in front of the press in D.C. The bill is in the Senate’s hands. The GOP’s hemming and hawing about “costs” will be put to the test.
Schumer told the crowd: “It’s our job to make sure we take care of veterans once they come back, and we’re not going to rest until we deal with burn pits and all of the other illnesses that people acquired when they fought for us.”
The Navy Times reports that many of the people who came down are the relatives and loved ones of veterans who are no longer with us. Danielle Robinson, widow of Army veteran Heath Robinson, who passed away from lung cancer in 2020 (believed to have been caused by exposure to toxic burn pits during his service in Iraq), made things plain. “I need all of these senators to understand what it is like to lay on the floor [beside] your dying husband for seven hours watching him die.”
Stewart spoke for a couple of minutes, expressing the urgency for senators to get off their asses and make move this bill forward, now. “The delay is unconscionable,” Stewart said with exasperation, detailing how some senators discussing the bill today would be spinning a lot of nonsense. "They're all going to say the same thing: ‘We want to do it. We want to support the veterans, but we want to do it the right way. We want to be responsible.’
“You know what would have been nice? If they had been responsible 20 years ago and hadn't spent trillions of dollars on overseas adventures. If they had been responsible and hadn't spent billions of dollars for defense contractors to poison our own troops. If they had been responsible and understood that 20 years of war was going to create an overflow, an influx of sick veterans paying the consequences of that work. They had their chance to be responsible and they blew it.”
Stewart didn’t let up, pointing out the United States has known for decades that the practice of burn pits was leading to serious health problems down the road for veterans. “Here’s the bottom line: You cannot be America first when you put veterans last.”
Amen.
YouTube Video
Listen and subscribe to Daily Kos' The Brief podcast with Markos Moulitsas and Kerry Eleveld:
Embedded Content
RELATED STORIES:
Jon Stewart dares Republicans to water down PACT Act for veterans' health care benefits
House passes PACT Act with 174 Republicans voting against veterans exposed to toxic burn pits
Rep. Madison Cawthorn uses important veteran affairs committee hearing to clean a gun
One of the main proponents for getting comprehensive health care legislation passed for our military veterans is comedian Jon Stewart. He has been a very eloquent and forceful critic of our country’s practice of spending boatloads of money sending military service members into combat and other dangerous scenarios, but then balking at the costs associated with the consequences of these actions. At the beginning of March, Stewart publicly chastised Republican attempts to water down the bill as it was passing through the House of Representatives. The bill passed even though 174 Republican representatives voted against protecting and helping veterans exposed to toxic burn pits.
On Tuesday, Stewart—along with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer—were flanked by veteran groups to once again plead their case in front of the press in D.C. The bill is in the Senate’s hands. The GOP’s hemming and hawing about “costs” will be put to the test.
Schumer told the crowd: “It’s our job to make sure we take care of veterans once they come back, and we’re not going to rest until we deal with burn pits and all of the other illnesses that people acquired when they fought for us.”
The Navy Times reports that many of the people who came down are the relatives and loved ones of veterans who are no longer with us. Danielle Robinson, widow of Army veteran Heath Robinson, who passed away from lung cancer in 2020 (believed to have been caused by exposure to toxic burn pits during his service in Iraq), made things plain. “I need all of these senators to understand what it is like to lay on the floor [beside] your dying husband for seven hours watching him die.”
Stewart spoke for a couple of minutes, expressing the urgency for senators to get off their asses and make move this bill forward, now. “The delay is unconscionable,” Stewart said with exasperation, detailing how some senators discussing the bill today would be spinning a lot of nonsense. "They're all going to say the same thing: ‘We want to do it. We want to support the veterans, but we want to do it the right way. We want to be responsible.’
“You know what would have been nice? If they had been responsible 20 years ago and hadn't spent trillions of dollars on overseas adventures. If they had been responsible and hadn't spent billions of dollars for defense contractors to poison our own troops. If they had been responsible and understood that 20 years of war was going to create an overflow, an influx of sick veterans paying the consequences of that work. They had their chance to be responsible and they blew it.”
Stewart didn’t let up, pointing out the United States has known for decades that the practice of burn pits was leading to serious health problems down the road for veterans. “Here’s the bottom line: You cannot be America first when you put veterans last.”
Amen.
YouTube Video
Listen and subscribe to Daily Kos' The Brief podcast with Markos Moulitsas and Kerry Eleveld:
Embedded Content
RELATED STORIES:
Jon Stewart dares Republicans to water down PACT Act for veterans' health care benefits
House passes PACT Act with 174 Republicans voting against veterans exposed to toxic burn pits
Rep. Madison Cawthorn uses important veteran affairs committee hearing to clean a gun