![]() ![]() A program that first ran from 2001 to 2004 and then was reestablished in 2011, the Victim Compensation Fund is now running out of money, given the number of first responders who’ve gotten sick following their work after the attacks. This bill, known as the Never Forget the Heroes Act, reauthorizes the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund until 2090. We will consider this important legislation soon,” McConnell said in a statement on Friday. “Nothing about our shared goal to provide for these heroes is remotely partisan. “I am imploring, pleading, and even begging to Leader McConnell to put this bill on the floor as soon as it passes the House.” “As soon as the House passes this bill, it should be on the floor of the Senate immediately as a standalone bill,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in June. The bill now heads to the Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has committed to giving it a vote in August, following extensive pressure to do so. The House of Representatives on Friday overwhelmingly passed a bill guaranteeing funding for a program that helps cover medical care for 9/11 first responders, a move that comes in the wake of immense public outcry and emotional testimony from Stewart during a House hearing earlier this year. He has raised the prospect that burn pits in Iraq were responsible for the death of his son Beau.It appears Jon Stewart’s public shaming is working, yet again. After passage, Tester told reporters he received a call from Biden, thanking him for “taking a big weight” off his shoulder.įor Biden, the issue is very personal. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Jerry Moran, R-Kan., led the effort to get the bill passed in the Senate. “What we have learned is that the VA cannot deliver what is promised because it does not have the capacity to handle the increase,” said Sen. Some GOP senators are still concerned that the bill will increase delays at the VA because of an increased demand for veterans seeking care or disability compensation. They also added funds for staffing to help the VA keep up with the expected increase in demand for health care and an increase in disability claims. An earlier version the House approved in March was expected to increase spending by more than $320 billion over 10 years, but senators trimmed some of the costs early on by phasing in certain benefit enhancements. The House was the first to act on the burn pits legislation. “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a situation where people who have already given so much had to fight so hard to get so little,” he said after the vote. He wept and held his head in his hand as the final vote began. He also was in the gallery watching the vote Tuesday. Stewart, the former host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” also brought increased exposure to the burn pit maladies veterans were facing. His widow, Danielle Robinson, was first lady Jill Biden’s guest at the president’s State of the Union address earlier this year. First Class Heath Robinson from Ohio, who died in 2020 from cancer he attributed to prolonged exposure to burn pits. ![]() The bill has been a years-long effort begun by veterans and their families who viewed the burn pits used in Iraq and Afghanistan as responsible for respiratory problems and other illnesses the veterans experienced after returning home. The bill is projected to increase federal deficits by about $277 billion over 10 years. The bill also authorizes 31 major medical VA health clinics and research facilities in 19 states. That’s another 50,000 veterans and survivors of deceased veterans who would get compensation for illnesses presumed to have been caused by their exposure to the herbicide, the CBO projected. The Congressional Budget Office projected that about 600,000 of 1.6 million living Vietnam vets would be eligible for increased compensation, though only about half would have severe enough diagnoses to warrant more compensation.Īlso, veterans who served in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Guam, American Samoa and Johnston Atoll will be presumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange. The bill adds hypertension, or high blood pressure, as a presumptive disease associated with Agent Orange exposure. Hundreds of thousands of Vietnam War era veterans and survivors also stand to benefit from the legislation. The military used burn pits to dispose of such things as chemicals, cans, tires, plastics and medical and human waste. Roughly 70% of disability claims related to burn pit exposure are denied by the VA due to lack of evidence, scientific data and information from the Defense Department. ![]()
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