Honoring our PACT Act of 2021

Honoring our PACT Act of 2021
Long title	An Act to improve health care and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances, and for other purposes.
Announced in	the 117th United States Congress
Number of co-sponsors	100
Legislative history
	Introduced in the House of Representatives as H.R. 3967 by Mark Takano (D-CA) on June 17, 2021; Committee consideration by House Veterans' Affairs; House Armed Services; Passed the House of Representatives on March 3, 2022 (256—174);

The Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2021, known as the Honoring our PACT Act of 2021, is a bill in the United States Congress intended to address "healthcare...and other matters related to veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during military service."[1]

The act was first introduced on June 17, 2021, by Representative Mark Takano (D-CA). The House of Representatives then passed the bill by 256–174 on March 3, 2022,[2][3] and it is expected to be passed by the Senate.[4]

Background

Burn pits were used as a waste disposal method by the United States Armed Forces during the Gulf War, the Kosovo War, the War in Afghanistan, and the Iraq War, but have since been terminated due to the toxic fumes that posed health risks to nearby soldiers. Currently, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) requires veterans to prove that their illness is directly related to burn pits.[4]

From 2007 to 2020, the VA denied 78% of disability claims by veterans that were alleged to have been caused by burn pits. The Honoring our PACT Act would remove the requirement that veterans prove that burn pits caused their illness and retroactively pay veterans who did not receive care for their illnesses after claiming disability caused by burn pits. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the cost of the Act would be $300 billion from 2022 to 2032.[5]

President Joe Biden has said he believes the brain cancer experienced by his son, Beau Biden, was a result of his exposure to burn pits during the Kosovo and Iraq Wars (Beau Biden died of that cancer in 2015).[6]

References

Takano, Mark (2022-03-01). "H.R.3967 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Honoring our PACT Act of 2021". www.congress.gov. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
Takano, Mark (2022-03-01). "Actions - H.R.3967 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Honoring our PACT Act of 2021". www.congress.gov. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
Kheel, Rebecca (2022-03-03). "Sweeping Toxic Exposure Bill Passed by House". Military.com. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
"Congressman Welch backs passage of Honoring Our Pact Act". MSN. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
Thompson, Alex; Tani, Max. "The burn pit book that hooked Biden". POLITICO. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
Viser, Matt (November 28, 2021). "Biden wonders publicly whether burn pits caused his son's death. Activists want him to do more on the issue". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 8, 2022.

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[1] Takano, Mark (2022-03-01). "H.R.3967 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Honoring our PACT Act of 2021". www.congress.gov. Retrieved 2022-03-03.

[2] Takano, Mark (2022-03-01). "Actions - H.R.3967 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Honoring our PACT Act of 2021". www.congress.gov. Retrieved 2022-03-03.

[3] Kheel, Rebecca (2022-03-03). "Sweeping Toxic Exposure Bill Passed by House". Military.com. Retrieved 2022-03-08.

[:0-4] "Congressman Welch backs passage of Honoring Our Pact Act". MSN. Retrieved 2022-03-08.

[5] Thompson, Alex; Tani, Max. "The burn pit book that hooked Biden". POLITICO. Retrieved 2022-03-09.

[6] Viser, Matt (November 28, 2021). "Biden wonders publicly whether burn pits caused his son's death. Activists want him to do more on the issue". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 8, 2022.