[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 113 (Tuesday, July 9, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H4513-H4519]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     WORKING FOR VETERANS' BENEFITS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 9, 2023, the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material in the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to be here today with my 
friend, assistant Democratic leader   Joe Neguse, to talk about my law, 
the Honoring our PACT Act.
  It was signed into law by President Joe Biden in August of 2022 and 
has since helped more than a million veterans and their survivors 
receive the healthcare and benefits that they have earned.
  In the 116th Congress, we passed the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans 
Act of 2019 that helped blue water Navy veterans receive care and 
benefits for exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam war.
  These veterans waited decades for this relief. I am so glad that we 
could help them cut red tape and make it easier for them to receive 
healthcare for certain conditions, but it took way too long to get it 
done.
  After blue water Navy, we were hearing from veterans around the 
country about being exposed to burn pits and other toxins when they 
were serving our country more recently. They were experiencing serious 
illnesses that they thought were connected to their toxic exposure.
  Many of these servicemembers were directed to throw trash, plastic, 
and other items into burn pits, and this meant breathing in the toxic 
air, or they were exposed to jet fuel for long periods of time due to 
their job in the service.
  It is easy to look back and think that this was not a good idea, but 
they did not have a choice at that time and were following orders.
  It was taking the Department of Veterans Affairs too long to address 
these veterans' illnesses on its own due to the perceived cost and the 
difficulty in obtaining the scientific evidence needed in order to 
help.
  We knew there was a strong need, and with the lessons learned from 
blue water, we knew we needed to act. This was the origin of the 
Honoring our PACT Act.
  When we send our servicemembers into harm's way, we make a pact to 
care for them when they come home. This is one of the most sacred 
promises in our country and the ultimate goal of this law.
  Thanks to the PACT Act, veterans no longer need to prove the 
connection between their service and an illness. The law outlines 23 
categories of presumptive respiratory illnesses and cancers, 
representing over 300 individual conditions for which veterans can 
quickly get healthcare and benefits. Since the law was signed, several 
more presumptive conditions have been added to the list with more on 
the way.
  Congress was able to work together on a bipartisan basis to get this 
done for veterans. Unfortunately, not much has gotten done for veterans 
since then, which truly troubles me. Helping those who have served 
should be a nonpartisan issue and one that gets due attention, no 
matter which party is in charge.
  I will continue momentarily, but I yield to my friend from Colorado 
(Mr. Neguse), our assistant Democratic leader.
  Mr. NEGUSE. First, let me say, Mr. Speaker, that we are so grateful 
to the

[[Page H4514]]

ranking member for his steadfast leadership in leading the Veterans' 
Affairs Committee, and of course, his leadership with respect to the 
PACT Act.

  I couldn't be more grateful to the colleagues that I have the 
privilege of serving with in the House Democratic Caucus, whom the 
country will hear from tonight, many of whom are veterans, people like 
Representative Deluzio and Representative Carbajal, individuals who 
have given a great deal to our country, made countless sacrifices, and 
now are leading the charge here in Congress to protect our veterans.
  I couldn't be more grateful to people like Dr. Raul Ruiz whose 
leadership year after year make the case for the Congress to treat this 
particular issue with the urgency that it deserves, ultimately 
culminating in the PACT Act.
  The PACT Act, as you heard from our ranking member, marked the 
largest expansion of benefits in a generation, cutting red tape and 
waiting times for veterans who were exposed to toxins and developed 
certain illnesses.
  It was historic in that it provided benefits to generations of 
veterans, many of whom were long forgotten. There are one million PACT 
Act claims, Mr. Speaker, and we are just getting started.
  For the families who have suffered the ultimate loss, the PACT Act 
means access to life insurance, to tuition benefits for their surviving 
family members, home loan assistance, monthly stipends, and more.
  Mr. Speaker, you will hear from Mr. Jim Costa and Mr. Tim Kennedy and 
so many other members of our caucus the same admonition, which is that 
we have to do everything in our power to provide for the families of 
fallen servicemembers.
  We have made progress in that regard, but there is much more for us 
to do. House Democrats stand ready, as we always are and will be, to 
get that job done.
  I thank the ranking member again for his leadership, I thank the 
members of the House Democratic Caucus for their leadership, and I look 
forward to making more progress in the days, months, and years ahead.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to my friend from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Deluzio), a veteran, and up until recently, an esteemed member of the 
House Veterans' Affairs Committee.
  Mr. DELUZIO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding 
time.
  I think we can all agree in this body that this country has a sacred 
obligation to care for those that wore the uniform, who served in peace 
or in war or both, and that starts with adequately funding and staffing 
the VA to make sure that those who have earned their benefits, who have 
earned their care, can receive them.
  That is why the Honoring our PACT Act that the ranking member and so 
many others got through this Congress is such a big deal. It is why it 
is so powerful. It expands VA healthcare and benefits for veterans 
exposed to toxic chemicals across generations who have served, and it 
fulfills that sacred promise this country has made.
  Veterans have long been exposed to some nasty stuff in service in 
Vietnam, the Gulf war, Afghanistan, Iraq, and other places. My 
generation saw burn pit exposure in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. 
We now know how dangerous this exposure can be and is for folks; 
cancers and diseases.
  The PACT Act meets this moment. It adds a presumption of service-
related illnesses coming from that toxic exposure. It cuts through red 
tape that had been blocking too many veterans from the care they have 
earned.
  We see the numbers. Over a million veterans and survivors have 
already had claims approved under the PACT Act. That is a big deal. It 
means those veterans and their families now have access to those 
benefits that are hard earned that their service ought to have 
guaranteed.
  In this body we often have hot air, debates, all the rest. Here is 
some practical advice. Last year, we saw veterans have a deadline to 
submit their intent to file, and many did. That was to get backdated 
benefits back to when this bill passed the Congress in 2022.
  Veterans and survivors who submitted that intent to file need to 
submit an actual claim as soon as possible if they have not yet done 
that. That is to ensure they get the most out of the PACT Act for those 
benefits that they have earned. They have a year after submitting 
intent to file to submit their final claim forms to receive those 
backdated benefits.

                              {time}  1730

  Mr. Speaker, VA.gov is the website to do it, to get more information, 
check the status of your claim. My office and the office, I am sure, of 
every Member here is willing to help a veteran. Go see a VSO, a veteran 
service organization, an accredited claims agent, an attorney. You can 
find some help.
  I remind my fellow veterans of this: These are earned benefits. You 
have earned them through your service. Make sure that you are getting 
what you need to take care of yourself and your family.
  The PACT Act is a big deal, but it is only going to be successful if 
we fund it, if we make sure every veteran in this country knows what 
they have earned, and we give the VA the resources they need to meet 
veterans' demands.
  That is our task in this body. I will work with everyone here to get 
it done. I am proud of the work we have done in this Congress.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Ruiz), who helped me champion veterans last Congress, an amazing 
doctor, and an amazing neighbor of mine.
  Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  The Honoring our PACT Act is the most significant expansion of 
healthcare access and benefits for veterans in generations.
  Now, over 5 million veterans and family members will have the peace 
of mind that if they become ill due to their exposure to toxic burn 
pits or they are disabled and cannot work, or God forbid, they pass 
away, they will receive the benefits that they need to overcome an 
illness, the healthcare to be able to stay at home with their family 
because they are unable to work, and if they pass, they will have peace 
of mind that their family will get their benefits.
  Look, for many years I have brought this issue up in committees, in 
the Veterans' Affairs Committee and the general public that veterans 
were dying of cancers, veterans were unable to breathe due to pulmonary 
illnesses, all of which were due to the toxic air that they breathe 
from the smoke from burn pits.
  The initial excuses were the evidence does not show any correlation. 
As a scientist, I refuted that. They asked the wrong questions, and 
their methodologies were flawed.
  Then the other excuse was that it was too expensive. Well, our values 
are to put the lives of our veterans first and foremost. We send them 
to war without consideration of the cost of war; therefore, it is our 
moral obligation to take care of veterans.
  I fought this tooth and nail under the banner of the name of Jennifer 
Kepner, a veteran who served in Balad Air Base in Iraq who died of 
pancreatic cancer. Before she died, I met with her at home at her 
kitchen table. She made me promise that no other veteran should suffer 
what she went through in trying to get the care and the benefits for 
her family. We accomplished and fulfilled that promise when we 
introduced the presumptive benefits for warfighters exposed to burn 
pits and other toxins which was included in the Honoring our PACT Act, 
which was the heart and soul of the Honoring our PACT Act because it 
gave presumptive benefits to 23 illnesses and categories of illnesses 
which total over 300 illnesses--and that is continuing to grow.
  The reason why we are here is because House Democrats continue to 
fight hard to ensure the implementation of the PACT Act.
  Last year, I spoke very frequently about a pending deadline for 
veterans to file an intent to file a claim for the PACT Act, which if 
they did so within a year after they filed that intent to file, they 
would get presumptive benefits and backpay to the day that the law was 
enacted.
  We are nearing the deadline of that intent to file, which means that 
veterans had a year to file their claim, to get that backpay until the 
day the law was signed, and if they haven't then they should do so 
before August 14 or before the year of when they filed that intent.

[[Page H4515]]

  If they do so, then they will get their pay and their benefits to the 
date of when the law was signed. If they don't or if they miss that 
year after they filed that intent, they should not despair. It is not 
as if this is your last chance of getting the claims; the only 
difference will be that they will get their benefits backtracked to the 
date that they filed their claim from that point on.
  It is very urgent that we inform our veterans that if they filed an 
intent to file that they file the claim before the end of the year to 
the date that they filed their intent to file. That is why it is very 
important that veterans go to VA.gov, the VA website, or call 1-800-
827-1000, call their Members of Congress, work with their county 
veteran service organizations representative or any of the VSOs and get 
the information that is needed so they don't miss out on the additional 
full benefits that the PACT Act gave our veterans.
  Mr. Speaker, I again thank everybody who was involved. I thank 
President Biden and Secretary McDonough who were the game changers 
during this long fight that we have been having that culminated in such 
a victory for our veterans.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, let me add that Representative Ruiz--Dr. 
Ruiz was instrumental in the part of this PACT Act package that dealt 
with the 23 presumptive illnesses.
  Let's be clear that the 23 presumptive illnesses aren't just 23 
diseases. They are actually buckets, Mr. Speaker, 23 buckets, we are 
talking more like 300 illnesses that are covered by the PACT Act.
  We endeavored hard to make sure that veterans did not have to wait 
decades for all of the hard scientific evidence to come in. We relied 
on analogues, such as the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers, and the 
toxic substances that our first responders were subjected to, and we 
observed that those first responders had a pattern of illnesses that 
began to arise in numbers that did not match what would be in the 
general population and we could use such approaches to begin to 
identify those very similar kinds of diseases that were arising from 
exposure to toxic burn pits.

  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Costa), a 
longtime advocate for veterans.
  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I commend the hard work and the efforts and 
the passion that Representative Takano, the ranking member on the 
committee and previous chair, has given to this issue. The hard work 
finally has paid off, and for that we thank him.
  For far too long, our Nation has failed to honor its promise to all 
our veterans who are victims of toxic exposures. It is our sacred 
obligation, I believe, to take care of the troops we send in harm's 
way--that is the American way--and to take care of them and their 
families when they return home.
  Sadly, nearly 3.5 million veterans have been exposed to the 
contaminants such as burn pits, toxic fragments, radiation, and other 
hazardous materials during their deployment.
  Until the mid-2010s, the burn pits were commonly used in Iraq and 
Afghanistan and other locations to dispose of waste collected at 
military bases.
  Well, we have discovered that the aftermath has resulted in drastic 
impacts to those veterans. Nearly 3.5 million deployed veterans were 
exposed to burn pits in the last 30 years. Think about that, 3.5 
million veterans. Mr. Speaker, 70 percent of the disability claims 
involving these toxic exposures were denied--they were denied by the 
Veterans Administration, and that is just wrong--leaving many of them, 
including 750,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, without any benefits. 
That is disgraceful.
  House Democrats and President Biden fought like hell to change this, 
and we did. The PACT Act is the largest expansion--think about this--
the largest expansion of benefits for service for toxic-exposed 
veterans in over 30 years through the hard work of Representative 
Takano and other members on that committee joining with our Democratic 
Caucus.
  We have added over 23 presumptive conditions, or categories as was 
noted before, for burn pits and Agent Orange and expanded the VA 
healthcare to millions of veterans, including those who served in 
Vietnam, the Gulf war, and post-9/11 eras.
  Mr. Speaker, 2 years later, we are beginning to see the results. It 
is long overdue. More than 5.6 million veterans have received 
screenings for toxic exposures. Over 1 million veteran claims have been 
granted by the Veterans Administration, a 75 percent approval rate for 
PACT Act-related claims.
  What a change.
  Nearly 24,000 veterans in my district alone, the 24th District in the 
San Joaquin Valley, are eligible for benefits, including 2,100 
processed claims and a total of over $5.17 billion in retroactive 
awards for PACT Act-related benefits for veterans and their survivors. 
This is a sea change. It is a big deal.
  I thank President Biden, and I thank Secretary McDonough for their 
help. I thank all those Members who have been involved in this for 
their hard work. I am proud to have been a cosponsor and to have voted 
for this historic law that has improved the lives of veterans in my 
district and nationwide and their families, for the families sacrifice, 
as well, and we should never ever forget that.
  In closing, we must continue to build upon the success and to ensure 
that our veterans can retire with the dignity and the respect they 
deserve because they have earned it. They have earned it.
  The bottom line is this: For those men and women who are currently 
serving our country, we thank you, and we think of you every day. For 
the veterans and their families--as I said, the families sacrifice, as 
well--a grateful nation can never ever say thank you enough.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Carbajal), a strong advocate for veterans, a marine veteran 
himself and my good friend.
  Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, as a proud marine veteran and the Representative for 
more than 34,000 of my fellow veterans across California's 24th 
Congressional District, I am proud to see the real impact that the 
Honoring our PACT Act has had for veterans and their families across 
the United States.
  Mr. Speaker, 2 years ago, we came together with President Joe Biden 
to pass the largest and most significant expansion of veterans benefits 
in more than 30 years.
  Since then, we have seen more than 1.5 million claims filed for toxic 
exposures and other health risks resulting from service in Vietnam, the 
Gulf war, and wars of the post-9/11 era.
  More than 2,000 of those claims have come from veterans in my own 
region.
  We cannot give up the momentum on this important bill.
  While we have seen so many already utilizing these expanded benefits, 
current estimates suggest that more than 5 million veterans were 
exposed to some amount of toxic substances during their military 
service.
  That is why I am encouraging all veterans who submitted an intent to 
file last summer make sure they are following through and submitting an 
actual claim as soon as possible to ensure that our veterans can get 
backdated benefits to the date that this bill was signed into law.
  I thank Ranking Member Takano and the House Democratic leadership for 
helping uplift this important deadline and reminding the American 
people in our veteran communities that we are still here every week 
fighting for their health, safety, and prosperity, all of which were 
earned by their years and decades of service.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I have the urge to say ``oorah.'' I thank 
the gentleman for his service to our country, not only as a 
Representative but also as a marine veteran.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. 
Magaziner).

                              {time}  1745

  Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, ``Our debt to the heroic men and valiant 
women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have 
earned our undying gratitude.'' These words spoken by President Harry 
Truman still ring true to this day.
  Millions of servicemembers and veterans have answered the call to 
serve and protect the freedoms that we hold dear. Just as our Nation's 
servicemembers make a promise to leave no one behind on the 
battlefield, we must leave no veteran behind when they come home.

[[Page H4516]]

  The PACT Act honors this promise. It is the largest expansion of VA 
benefits in a generation and ensures that millions of veterans who have 
been exposed to Agent Orange, burn pits, and other toxins during their 
military service receive the care that they have earned and deserve.
  The PACT Act is one of the greatest accomplishments of the Biden-
Harris administration, and it was made possible by the leadership of 
then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Chairman Mark Takano, among many others.
  In Rhode Island, more than 3,200 veterans have already received PACT 
Act benefits with another 4,000 projected to be added to the program in 
the coming years. Over 1 million veterans and their families have 
received PACT Act benefits nationally.
  I have been working very closely with my Rhode Island Second 
Congressional District military and veterans advisory committee to 
spread the word about the PACT Act and how veterans in our district can 
access those benefits.
  However, there is still more work to be done. All too often, benefits 
claims sharks exploit veterans and their families with exorbitant fees. 
We must do more to protect veterans and their families from these 
predatory practices.
  We must also ensure that veterans and their family members who were 
exposed to toxic PFAS chemicals on military bases and elsewhere receive 
the healthcare that they need, and I have cosponsored legislation to 
make that a reality.
  We must always fight to ensure that veterans receive the care and 
benefits they deserve because they deserve nothing but the very best.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to my good friend from North 
Carolina, a great champion of veterans, Representative Deborah Ross.
  Ms. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the historic PACT 
Act. Thanks to this critical legislation, we are closer today than ever 
to ensuring every single veteran has access to the exceptional care and 
benefits they deserve.
  In less than 2 years, I am happy to report, as my colleagues have 
also reported, 1 million PACT Act claims have been granted to more than 
800,000 veterans and survivors across the country.
  As the proud daughter of an Air Force veteran and a doctor, it is 
especially meaningful to recognize this milestone today.
  We make a sacred promise to all of our Nation's veterans that after 
bravely serving our country in uniform, we will care for them when they 
return home. That is why we can and must do more to ensure that no 
veteran faces financial or logistical barriers to accessing the medical 
treatment and benefits they are owed.
  Crucially, the PACT Act included the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, our 
bipartisan bill to enable servicemembers from Camp Lejeune who were 
exposed to toxic chemicals to pursue long-overdue justice in court.
  This legislation, unfortunately, did not go quite far enough, and too 
many veterans continue to face unacceptable barriers to accessing the 
remedies.
  I recently introduced, with Congressman Greg Murphy, who is also a 
doctor, the bipartisan Camp Lejeune Justice Corrections Act to make 
additional reforms, including capping attorney's fees, expanding 
jurisdiction to alleviate the large backlog of cases our courts are 
facing, and clarifying the right to a jury trial.
  Today and every day, let's continue the fight to support our 
courageous veterans, servicemembers, and their families.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina 
for her work on the section of the PACT Act that relates to justice for 
those servicemembers who were in residence at Camp Lejeune. It is a 
decades-long effort to bring justice for those members, and I urge our 
government to move as expeditiously as possible to get those claims 
settled with all of our veterans across the country who have served at 
Camp Lejeune.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to my friend from Ohio, a member of the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs and a fierce advocate for veterans, 
Representative  Greg Landsman.
  Mr. LANDSMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Takano for hosting 
tonight and for his leadership on the PACT Act, which has helped so 
many veterans.
  Our veterans and servicemembers have sacrificed so much on behalf of 
all of us. We know now that during their service, millions were exposed 
to toxic substances, and these exposures have caused serious health 
issues for so many.
  This is why, 2 years ago, Representative Takano and others passed the 
PACT Act. This landmark legislation expanded healthcare for veterans 
exposed to these toxic substances. Since its passage, over 32,000 
Ohioans and over 1 million veterans nationwide have had their PACT Act 
claims granted by the VA. This means that these folks are finally 
getting the healthcare they deserve.
  As a member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I am proud 
to serve our veterans and advocate for better benefits, more funding, 
and continued investment in their well-being.
  In our district, we have over 30,000 veterans. By ensuring the 
continued acceptance of PACT Act claims, funding the VA properly, and 
passing important veteran legislation like our Employing Veterans to 
Feed America Act, which provides jobs for veterans, we are doing 
important work.
  I am grateful for all the veterans in southwest Ohio and across the 
country. I promise to keep working to improve their lives and the lives 
of their loved ones.

  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Landsman for his amazing 
advocacy for our Nation's veterans.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to my good friend from the State of New Mexico, 
the Land of Enchantment, Representative Melanie Stansbury.
  Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate and honor our 
veterans and to celebrate and highlight the extraordinary passage of 
the PACT Act, which is the single-most significant expansion of 
veterans' benefits in generations. We passed that bill here in Congress 
under Democratic leadership with the support of President Joe Biden 
just 2 years ago.
  It expands VA benefits to over 3 million veterans across the United 
States. In New Mexico, we have a long and proud tradition of service 
that extends across all of our communities, from the Navajo Code 
Talkers and the heroes of Bataan to the veterans of Iraq and 
Afghanistan.
  The courage, valor, and dedication of our veterans are woven into the 
very fabric of who we are as New Mexicans. In fact, over 133,000 New 
Mexicans have served this great Nation, including my own veteran at 
home, my partner who served this country in the United States Marine 
Corps.
  To all of our veterans and Active-Duty military, we thank them every 
day for their service and sacrifice. We are here because of the 
sacrifices they have made to defend this country and our democracy.
  We must also thank those veterans who fought to pass the PACT Act 
itself, including, among them, New Mexico's own Master Sergeant Jessey 
Baca of the New Mexico Air National Guard and his wife, Maria, who 
fought for over a decade for our veterans exposed to burn pits and who 
stood on the steps of this Capitol Building to help get the PACT Act 
passed.
  Now, it is up to us as leaders across the country to ensure that our 
veterans and our families are cared for. We know that when we care for 
our veterans, we care for New Mexicans.
  Voting for the PACT Act was one of the proudest moments of my service 
to this country here in Congress. Today, one of my greatest and most 
awesome and humbling duties is to ensure that every New Mexican veteran 
accesses the benefits of the PACT Act.
  To those who have not yet signed up who have served this country and, 
over the course of their service, were exposed to burn pits, toxins, 
and other workplace hazards, there is still time. The VA is there for 
them. They have their backs, and so do we.
  To all of our veterans who have served this great country, they have 
put everything on the line. Now, it is our turn for the PACT Act to 
serve them. I thank them for their service and sacrifice.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to another great friend from the 
great State of North Carolina, an amazing advocate for veterans and 
someone who

[[Page H4517]]

has been a fierce advocate for justice for our Camp Lejeune veterans, 
the amazing Representative Kathy Manning.
  Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his hard work and 
friendship.
  Mr. Speaker, for far too long, millions of veterans exposed to toxins 
like burn pits and contaminated water did not receive the care and 
benefits they earned. That is why, in the last Congress, House 
Democrats took action to correct this injustice.
  I was proud to help pass the PACT Act, historic legislation to 
deliver long-overdue benefits and healthcare to 3.5 million veterans 
exposed to toxins while serving our country.
  The PACT Act expanded eligibility for healthcare at the VA, including 
expanded coverage for illnesses related to Agent Orange. For veterans' 
families who lost their loved ones, the law may provide monthly 
stipends and access to life insurance, among other benefits.
  Now, 2 years after President Biden signed the PACT Act into law, it 
is helping veterans and their families across the country. The VA has 
received over 1.4 million PACT Act claims, including over 4,700 claims 
from veterans in my home district, North Carolina's Sixth District.
  Our country has an obligation to care for those who bravely serve our 
Nation. With the PACT Act, Democrats and the Biden administration are 
delivering on that promise. I was proud to help pass this deeply 
important legislation and support the thousands of veterans in my 
district who are now able to get the care they need.
  Mr. Speaker, I will always work to honor the sacrifices America's 
veterans have made and to ensure they are treated with the respect and 
dignity they deserve.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to my good friend from the State of 
Minnesota, another great champion of veterans and someone who has a 
veteran's medical center in her district, Representative Ilhan Omar.
  Ms. OMAR. Mr. Speaker, 2 years ago, we passed the PACT Act, one of 
the most consequential pieces of legislation to address the severe 
health problems that so many of our veterans who served our great 
country are facing. I thank my colleague, Congressman Mark Takano, for 
his leadership in getting this bill across the finish line.

                              {time}  1800

  This bill has made it easier for veterans and their families to get 
the relief and the care they deserve.
  I have heard from so many Minnesotans on how life-changing this 
legislation has been, from Brian who lost his wife to pancreatic cancer 
to Andrew who lost his brother to leukemia and to Amanda whose husband 
Rafael was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer and is now getting the 
treatment he deserves because of the PACT Act.
  All of the family members and veterans I have met with know this bill 
could have been a game changer for them, their loved one, or just how 
crucial it is to help the next veteran.
  Whether it was Agent Orange in Vietnam or exposure to toxic waters at 
Camp Lejeune or burn pits and other toxic exposures in Iraq and 
Afghanistan, this is a part of our military's history and legacy. I am 
glad we are finally addressing it in the most comprehensive way it 
deserves.
  While I am grateful this program has been enacted to provide veterans 
and their loved ones with the care and benefits they have earned and 
deserve, only a small percentage of Minnesotans are taking advantage of 
this program. Less than 10,000 veterans out of more than 100,000 
veterans in Minnesota who qualify under this program have enrolled. It 
is crucial that we continue to get the word out about this lifesaving 
program.
  Mr. Speaker, to see if you or someone you know qualifies, please go 
to va.gov/pact.
  I will not stop fighting until every one of my constituents who is 
eligible receives the care they deserve, and I will keep advocating for 
crucial reforms to stop future servicemen and -women from experiencing 
the same hardships, because when we ask young people to serve our 
country in uniform, we should not also be asking them to expose their 
bodies to toxins and to live with the consequences of those toxins for 
the rest of their lives.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Ilhan Omar for all 
her amazing work to help the veterans in her district and across our 
country.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Kennedy), 
who is the newest member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the veterans who have made 
great personal sacrifices to serve our country.
  To all those who have donned the military uniform, on behalf of a 
grateful nation, I say thank you.
  First, I would like to express my gratitude to Assistant Leader   Joe 
Neguse and Ranking Member Mark Takano for holding this Special Order to 
honor our veterans. From burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan to Agent 
Orange in Vietnam, veterans exposed to toxic substances face challenges 
that impact their quality of life and long-term health.
  We owe it to our veterans who have defended democracy and preserved 
our precious freedoms to deliver the benefits that they have earned and 
deserved. That is why Democrats passed and President Biden signed into 
law the PACT Act which represents the largest expansion of benefits and 
services for veterans exposed to toxins during their time in service in 
over 30 years.
  To date, over 1 million PACT Act claims have been approved. People 
are receiving the care and benefits that they need and deserve. As an 
added success, the law has led to an increase in veterans accessing 
medical services from VA hospitals, crucially including a generation of 
Vietnam veterans. Additionally, the widows of veterans will receive 
compensation because of this law, fulfilling the Nation's duty of care 
to the families of veterans.
  The PACT Act is making a difference for veterans in New York and 
across the country in accessing the benefits that they need to lead 
healthy lives.
  Again, I say to our veterans: our Nation is forever indebted to you 
for your noble service. God bless you all.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Kennedy for hitting 
the ground running as one of our newest Representatives. I know he is 
going to be getting the message out to the veterans who live in his 
district to make sure that they submit their PACT Act claims and to 
access the benefits that they have earned through their service.
  When President Biden signed the Honoring our PACT Act, he declared 
that every eligible veteran should be able to apply immediately. We had 
written the law in such a way that the healthcare and benefits would be 
phased in, but President Biden decided that every veteran should be 
able to apply for benefits as soon as it became law.
  Within 24 hours, the Department of Veterans Affairs had created a 
website where veterans and their families could learn more about the 
law and how to apply for benefits. This shows how committed President 
Biden has been with House Democrats to support the veteran community. 
He understood what a difference this important law would make for 
veterans, and he did not want them to wait to be able to apply.
  The successful implementation of the PACT Act shows that the Biden 
Administration was invested in helping veterans and implemented this 
law far faster than most laws. We all know, and we all knew veterans 
and their families could not wait any longer. This was many years 
coming for veterans who were already facing illness or cancer from 
toxic exposure, and many of these veterans were able to get updated 
disability ratings and access to healthcare.
  I find it odd that while the PACT Act is sometimes known as the burn 
pits bill, when we talk about veterans waiting for decades, the PACT 
Act actually addressed Agent Orange claims and exposure to Agent Orange 
that had not been covered by previous legislation. So this took care of 
unfinished business with Agent Orange and exposure to radiation. So 
those veterans who were from previous conflicts, conflicts previous to 
Afghanistan and Iraq, were also eligible to get their toxic exposure 
illnesses addressed and covered by this legislation.
  In fact, this legislation covers veterans who were involved in the 
global war on terror around the world. It was

[[Page H4518]]

not just confined to those veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  Before the PACT Act, veterans were likely to need to prove exposure 
to specific chemicals in order to receive healthcare and benefits. This 
is nearly impossible when talking about burn pits because of the myriad 
of materials that were burned in them. Over 6 million veterans and 
their survivors have completed a toxic exposure screening to ensure 
they are eligible for care and benefits now and in the future.
  VA also announced recently that over 1 million veterans had been 
granted their disability benefits, which is tremendous news, less than 
2 years since this bill became law.
  I would be remiss if I did not mention the veterans service 
organizations who all came together to support this bill and willed it 
into law. They showed Congress and President Biden just how important 
it was that we took care of veterans and their survivors.
  Democrats and President Biden have proven time and time again that we 
do not just say thank you for your service. Our actions show just how 
grateful we are for that service and that we were willing to pay for 
all the costs of war.
  So I want to thank Assistant Leader Neguse and all of my colleagues 
who have joined me on the floor today for this Special Order hour on 
the Honoring our PACT Act.
  I am proud to have authored this important legislation that has 
helped thousands of veterans.
  I am grateful to Speaker Emerita Pelosi who understood that we needed 
to deliver for veterans in the 117th Congress and who was a key player 
in getting this legislation over the finish line.
  I want to thank President Biden for his continued support of the 
veteran community. I don't know of a President who has any greater love 
for veterans than President Biden. It is who he is. So it is with great 
sincerity and great emotion that I thank him for his decades of service 
to our veterans. As I said much earlier, he decided that all eligible 
veterans would be immediately able to apply for benefits instead of the 
original phased-in approach. He knew how critical this would be for 
countless veterans and their families.
  We put partisanship aside and came together to help veterans and 
their families. More than 1 million veterans and survivors have already 
received benefits, and thousands more veterans have signed up for VA 
healthcare.
  However, as I said earlier, there are some 300,000 veterans who have 
submitted an intent to file at some point last year who have 365 days 
to actually submit their claim. For most of these veterans, this 365-
day window is this month or early August. In order to receive backdated 
benefits back to 2022, these veterans need to submit their claims as 
soon as possible.
  However, we are not going to stop here. While we celebrate the Honor 
the PACT Act and the more than 1 million veterans who have benefited 
from it, we know there is more work to do. As ranking member of the 
House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I am working to end veteran 
homelessness and to make the VA an even more welcome place for women 
and LGBTQ+ veterans and stop attempts at more privatization of VA 
healthcare.
  We made a solemn promise to our servicemembers that if they serve our 
country, then we will take care of them. This means every veteran.
  We also ensure and will ensure they get the best possible care at VA 
facilities. We will honor our pact with them, and we will honor the 
promise that we made to them with my legislation, but I will not stop 
working to improve the lives and livelihoods of veterans around the 
country.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Neguse), who 
is the assistant leader, to have the last word for tonight's Special 
Order hour.
  Mr. NEGUSE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member, again, for his 
leadership, his clarity of conviction, and the steadfast commitment 
that he has shown to our Nation's veterans time and time again. I 
certainly could not say it any better than he has, as you have heard, 
Mr. Speaker, from a wide cross section of the House Democratic Caucus, 
Members representing every community in our great country.
  Our commitment to our Nation's veterans is rock solid. It is 
evidenced by the work that Ranking Member Takano and House Democrats, 
in partnership with President Biden, were able to ultimately accomplish 
in the last Congress, as you can see, Mr. Speaker, 1 million claims 
under the PACT Act, real families, real stories, and real impacts for 
countless veterans who have made incredible sacrifices for our country. 
We are indebted to them, and we will continue our commitment to them in 
the weeks, the months, and the years ahead led by Ranking Member Takano 
and by the leadership of the Members whom you have heard from this 
evening.
  I thank the ranking member for yielding.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Office of 
Assistant Leader Joe Neguse and Ranking Member of the Veterans' Affairs 
Committee Mark Takano for hosting this special order hour and helping 
to raise awareness about the extended efforts made to secure and expand 
PACT Act benefits for over 1 million veterans and survivors.
  The landmark bipartisan Sergeant First Class Health Robinson Honoring 
our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, otherwise known as the 
PACT Act, was signed into law in 2022, enacting perhaps the largest 
health care and benefit expansion in VA history.
  This law provides expanded benefits to Veterans exposed to burn pits, 
Agent Orange, and other toxic substances, helping generations of 
Veterans--and their survivors, receive the critical care they deserve.
  And as of 2024, these VA health care benefits were expanded to 
millions of Veterans--years earlier than initially called for by the 
2022 passage of the PACT Act.
  As a senior member of this Congress and a longtime supporter of 
Veterans, I know the passage of this law has been a step in the right 
direction to address all harms Veterans in America sadly face and 
continue to face, particularly Black and minority Veterans.
  There is a long and painful history of denial of service-related 
toxic exposure that dates back to nuclear testing conducted during and 
in the decades following WWII that cause premature deaths, cancers and 
other service-related injuries.
  For decades, millions of Veterans have unknowingly been exposed to 
toxic substances and radiation during their military service.
  As a result of these exposures, Veterans have had to face a range of 
serious health complications, including many types of cancers, 
cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurological disorders, and other 
chronic illnesses.
  Although the severity of the health issues can vary, many Veterans 
have faced debilitating conditions that require ongoing medical care 
and support and can cause disability, reduced quality of life, and 
premature death.
  Current estimates suggest that more than 5 million Veterans were 
exposed to toxic substances or radiation during their service.
  The type and extent of exposures vary significantly, depending on the 
time and location of a Veterans' military service:
  During World War II, service members involved in construction 
projects and serving on ships were exposed to asbestos.
  In the 1950s and 1960s, Veterans involved in nuclear testing and 
handling nuclear weapons risked exposure to radioactive materials.
  During the Vietnam War Veterans faced exposure to Agent Orange, a 
toxic herbicide containing dioxin.
  In particular, the pattern of not acknowledging service-related toxic 
exposure includes Agent Orange service-related exposure that was not 
acknowledged until passage of the Agent Orange Act of 1991.
  Agent Orange was a herbicide used to defoliate vegetation and kill 
crops over the rural landscape in Vietnam from 1961 to 1971.
  The health conditions caused by this exposure were compounded by 
mental distress when the government denied that the conditions were 
linked to Vietnam era military service.
  Before passage of the PACT Act, Veterans with toxic exposures had to 
prove a direct connection between their medical conditions and a 
specific toxic exposure that they faced during their military service.
  Because of the difficulty connecting a condition to an exposure, the 
VA denied nearly 80 percent of disability claims related to burn pit 
exposures before the passage of the PACT Act.
  The PACT Act sought to remedy this from ever happening again.
  In particular, the law added a ``presumptive'' service connection for 
hundreds of conditions linked to burn pits, agent orange, and other 
hazards while serving our country, and thus lowered the burden of proof 
required to receive disability benefits.
  Now, the average nationwide percent service connection rate for 
Veterans with these granted claims is 70 percent, meaning that

[[Page H4519]]

they receive more than $20,000 in earned benefits payments from VA each 
year.
  Additionally, nationwide, we know that Veterans have submitted over 
one million total claims since the PACT Act was enacted. And over 76 
percent of all claims have been approved, a sharp increase from pre-
PACT levels--resulting in over $2.4 billion in benefits to Veterans and 
the survivors.
  These benefits are also particularly important to the state of Texas, 
which has the largest veteran population in the U.S.
  Since its enactment in 2022, Texas has led the Nation in Veterans 
filing disability claims associated with the PACT Act at over 161,920.
  From these PACT Act-related claims, VA has delivered more than 
$600,231,041.75 in earned benefits to Texas Veterans and survivors.
  Importantly, since the PACT Act was signed into law, more than 68,867 
Texas Veterans have also signed up for VA health care.
  These numbers make clear that the PACT Act is working, ensuring that 
the courageous men and women who serve our country avoid having to 
navigate unnecessary webs of red tape to receive treatment or benefits.
  Just as our Veterans made a commitment to serve our Nation, we too 
have a responsibility to serve them long after they take off the 
uniform.
  With the passage of the PACT Act and the proactive steps the 
Administration has taken following its enactment to ensure that actual 
benefits are realized for over one million Veterans, Congress has done 
just that.

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