Tillis, Klobuchar Bipartisan Legislation to Help Veterans Exposed to Toxic Burn Pits Passes Senate | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Press Release:

The Helping Veterans Exposed to Burn Pits Act would create a center of excellence within the Department of Veterans Affairs to better understand the health effects associated with burn pits and treat veterans who become sick after exposure.


    WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) applauded the Senate passage of their bipartisan legislation to help veterans who have been exposed to toxic burn pits as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018. The Helping Veterans Exposed to Burn Pits Act would create a center of excellence within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to better understand the health effects associated with burn pits and treat veterans who become sick after exposure.

    "Many of our brave men and women in uniform were exposed to harmful substances from toxic burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we have an obligation to care for them," said Senator Tillis. "Understanding the health effects associated with exposure to burn pits is the beginning of that commitment, and I am proud this provision was included in the final version of the NDAA's Senate passage. I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure this legislation is signed into law soon so we can begin providing resources to the VA and provide treatment to veterans who became sick after exposure."

    "It took the government years after the Vietnam War to recognize that there was a link between Agent Orange and the devastating health effects on our soldiers. We can't let history repeat itself-burn pits can't become today's Agent Orange," Senator Klobuchar said. "That's why passing this bipartisan bill to support our nation's heroes - who served in Iraq and Afghanistan - along with their families, has remained one of my top priorities. We need to better understand and address the relationship between burn pit exposure and the health needs of our brave men and women in uniform, and this bill will help accomplish that."

    The burning of waste on military bases exposed many service members to a variety of potentially harmful substances. Plastic, aerosol cans, electronic equipment, human waste, tires, and batteries were thrown into open pits, often doused with jet fuel, and set on fire. As a result, many deployed soldiers were exposed to smoke from these open-air burn pits. Health effects from exposure to chemicals found in burn pits may include cancer, neurological effects, reproductive effects, respiratory toxicity, and cardiovascular toxicity. Troops who have worked in these areas are subject to higher rates of asthma, emphysema, and rare lung disorders.

    Original co-sponsors of this legislation include Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Al Franken (D-MN), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH). Klobuchar and Tillis also introduced this legislation in the last Congress.

  • Contact: Daniel Keylin
  •     daniel_keylin@tillis.senate.gov

Go Back


Leave a Guest Comment

Your Name or Alias
Your Email Address ( your email address will not be published)
Enter Your Comment ( no code or urls allowed, text only please )




Probing Progressive Tax Nostalgia Press Releases: Elected office holders, Op-Ed & Politics, Bloodless Warfare: Politics Upgraded 911 System will Help Save Lives Throughout North Carolina


HbAD0

Latest Bloodless Warfare: Politics

Glenn Beck: 'When the United States government can come after individuals, that's when you know our republic is crumbling.'
Washington, D.C. — Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. issued the following statement on the latest continuing resolution:
WASHINGTON – Today, as Joe Biden continues his Bankrupting America Tour in North Carolina, Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel released the following statement:
Former President Donald Trump dominated the North Dakota Republican Caucus on Monday as he continues to inch closer to officially securing the party’s presidential nomination.
RALEIGH: Today, Governor Cooper visited a bus facility in Durham to highlight the recent significant federal funding for electric school buses in North Carolina.
The White House unveiled a new term on Thursday for the millions of illegal aliens who have flooded into the U.S. under President Joe Biden, which came just shortly before Biden took a trip to the border for a photo op at a spot that has had few illegal aliens cross.
Washington, D.C. — Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. issued the following statement after voting in favor of S.J. Res. 38, to overturn the Federal Highway Administration’s rule relating to ‘Waiver of Buy America Requirements for Electric Vehicle Chargers.’
House Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green (R-TN) announced this week that he is reversing his decision to retire after receiving calls from former President Donald Trump and others.
Former President Donald Trump slammed President Joe Biden on Saturday after Biden apologized for calling the illegal alien who allegedly murdered a young woman in Georgia an “illegal” during his recent State of the Union speech.

HbAD1

RALEIGH: Lynddahl Telecom America Inc. (LTA), a duct solutions company for fiber optics installations, will create 54 new jobs in Gaston County, Governor Cooper announced today.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said this week that the media and Democrat politicians are doing everything they can to hide the fact that the man who is accused of murdering a Georgia college student last week is an illegal alien
Illegal immigrants 'effectively left in legal limbo without any way to pursue asylum,' says non-partisan data analytics group
Former President Donald Trump called on 81-year-old President Joe Biden to take a cognitive exam Thursday morning, just hours after the commander-in-chief’s doctor said he was “fit to serve” following his annual physical exam.
RALEIGH: Today, Governor Cooper joined Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure to highlight the positive impacts of Medicaid expansion in North Carolina and record Affordable Care Act enrollment numbers.
Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) tore into President Joe Biden during an interview over the weekend for creating the catastrophe on the U.S. southern border.
Speaking at the White House on Wednesday on his “actions to fight crime and make our communities safer,” President Joe Biden boasted, “we beat the NRA,” adding, “We’re going to finish the job.”

HbAD2

 
Back to Top