[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 200 (Wednesday, November 17, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H6323-H6324]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 BENEFITS FOR BURN PIT-EXPOSED VETERANS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Espaillat). The Chair recognizes the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Ruiz) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, the Burn Pit 
Registry Enhancement Act, which passed the House unanimously yesterday, 
and to urge a vote in the Senate.
  The Burn Pit Registry Enhancement Act would strengthen the registry 
by allowing a registered veteran's data to be updated by their family 
with his or her cause of death.
  This data is crucial to identify the vast array of illnesses that are 
causing young burn pit-exposed veterans to die and will help doctors 
recognize early symptoms of life-threatening conditions and save lives.
  As a Nation, we have a responsibility to provide our veterans with 
the benefits they have earned and deserve. We bear that responsibility 
even more heavily when the use of burn pits by our own military is 
causing veterans to develop rare pulmonary conditions and cancers.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge the Senate to take up my legislation and uphold 
our commitment to taking care of our veterans.


                       Alejandro Camacho's Story

  Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to tell the story of my 
constituent, Alejandro Camacho, of Palm Desert, a veteran who has been 
affected by our military's use of toxic burn pits, and to call for 
action.
  After graduating from La Quinta High School, Alejandro served our 
Nation in the U.S. Marine Corps. From March to September 2009, he was 
stationed in south Sinjar, Iraq.
  At great personal sacrifice to himself, Alejandro served as a member 
of the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, even missing the 
birth of his own son, Jacob, while he was stationed overseas.
  Every single day in south Sinjar, Alejandro breathed in toxic fumes, 
particulate matter, and carcinogens from the batteries, medical waste, 
and jet fuel that was burned in large burn pits on his base.
  When he returned home, the effects of breathing in those toxic fumes 
started taking a toll on his body. In 2019, Alejandro was diagnosed 
with embryonal carcinoma, an aggressive form of testicular cancer. He 
and his doctor believed his diagnosis to be linked to his exposures to 
fumes from burning jet propulsion 8 fuel, a known human carcinogen.
  When Alejandro underwent the excruciating chemotherapy process, his 
body fell apart. He lost 50 pounds. He lost feeling in his hands and 
feet, and he constantly heard ringing in his ears.
  Despite being deemed 40 percent disabled, despite his repeated 
exposure to jet fuel fumes, and despite the diagnosis, the VA denied 
his claim for coverage. Do you know why? Because the VA said there 
wasn't ``enough evidence'' to establish a connection between his burn 
pit exposure and the cancer he developed.
  Mr. Speaker, I am an emergency medicine physician and a public health 
expert, and in public health and in medicine, it is practice that if 
there is

[[Page H6324]]

a high enough suspicion based on the evidence available of a harm that 
causes a severe enough illness, then we need to act on that suspicion.
  We can't afford to wait decades, like we did with Agent Orange, for 
that perfect study to establish a perfect causality between burn pit 
exposure and cancers and pulmonary conditions our veterans are 
developing and dying from right now. There is enough evidence to act.
  We must act for veterans like Alejandro and help him get the 
healthcare and benefits he earned when we sent him to war for our 
country. Alejandro is now cancer free, but the fight continues to get 
him the benefits he deserves.
  We are making real bipartisan progress on this front, with 
legislation like the Honoring our PACT Act, which takes an aggressive 
and comprehensive approach to the urgent healthcare crisis that 
veterans like Alejandro are facing.
  This legislation will keep our Nation's promise to our veterans that 
we will take care of them after they serve our Nation. It contains my 
bill, the Presumptive Benefits for War Fighters Exposed to Burn Pits 
and Other Toxins Act. It creates a presumption of service-related 
illnesses due to burn pits in order to take care of our veterans.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge this body to take up this bill to support 
Alejandro and the rest of our heroes in uniform.

                          ____________________