“My first reaction is to get mad. But then I have to reel back and say, ‘You know, I can’t get mad about it because I can’t undo it,’” Derrick said. “I mean, it’s done, and all these other people, their health issues, they can’t take that back. So on behalf of all the other people, we have got to get justice and have accountability.

Eligibility for VA health care is also expanded under the Act. Now Gulf War and post 9/11 veterans are eligible if they served in theater of combat operations during a period of war after the Persian Gulf War or served in combat during a period of hostilities after November 11, 1998.

We’re doing our part by ensuring Delaware Veterans know the benefits they are entitled to with the passage of the PACT Act. The VA is considering 23 new presumptive conditions for benefits, meaning any Veteran who may be eligible for benefits should apply for them as soon as possible. If you need help accessing care or knowing if you’re eligible, please contact our offices.

Burn pits are large areas where military waste is incinerated in the open air. Chemicals, weapons and ammunition, metals, medical and human waste, plastics and rubber are all burned, often with jet fuel as an accelerant, resulting in toxic pollution. A 2020 survey by the advocacy organization Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America found that 86 percent of respondents were exposed to these burn pits or other toxins during their service.

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.

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.

I wanted to tell about the injustice of serving your country only to be denied the most basic of care. I wanted to tell about a soldier who knew he was going to die but only cared about what would happen to his wife and family.

Because these conditions have already taken such a toll on so many veterans and their families, I have directed the Department of Veterans Affairs to treat all 23 presumptive conditions as — in this law — as applicable the moment I sign this bill.

Audrey Williams-Pride moved to Camp Lejeune in the 1980s when her husband served there. She had no idea the water they used for drinking and bathing was contaminated.

The federal government has acknowledged the toxic water, on the base for decades, caused everything from cancer to Parkinson’s disease.

Biden was joined by McDonough, members of Congress, veterans who had been exposed to toxins and representatives of Veterans Service Organizations. He was introduced by Danielle Robinson and Brielle Robinson, the surviving wife and daughter of Sgt. 1st Class Heath Robinson, whom the PACT Act is named after.

The PACT Act wouldn’t undo that damage, but it could help salve lingering effects. Ensminger looked on last week as senators debated the bill, which would provide health care benefits for members of the military exposed to toxins while serving. It would also permit Marines and their families who had been exposed to Camp Lejeune’s water to sue the federal government.

“American veterans have spent decades navigating a never-ending series of obstacles to get the care they need and earned, and we are thrilled that relief is finally on the way with President Biden signing the PACT Act into law,” said Jeremy Butler, CEO for IAVA.

"Ain't this a b---?" Stewart said in his remarks. "America's heroes, who fought in our wars, outside sweating their asses off battling all kinds of ailments while these mother f---- sit in the air conditioning, walled off from any of it." He added, "They don't have to hear, they don't have to see it, they don't have to understand that these are human beings."

I called for this legislation in my State of the Union address, as part of my Unity Agenda to help bring together our nation. Congress has delivered a decisive and bipartisan win for America’s veterans. I want to thank Chair Tester and Ranking Member Moran as well as Chair Takano and Ranking Member Bost for their tireless work to pass this major reform, and the courageous veterans and advocates whose tenacity and heart ensured this legislation got done.

The vote brings the bill one step closer to law after years of advocacy from veterans support groups and health care organizations that have argued a range of health conditions from emphysema to glioblastoma, the cancer that killed Biden’s son, retired Major Beau Biden, can be linked to burn pits used to incinerate toxic waste for years at overseas military locations.

As part of the Unity Agenda that I laid out in my State of the Union address, I called on Congress to make sure that veterans and their families and caregivers impacted by toxic exposures finally get the benefits and comprehensive health care they earned and deserve.