President Joe Biden told hundreds of veterans here Tuesday that he’s determined to make sure 9/11-era soldiers exposed to toxic burn pits don’t suffer the indignities that Vietnam veterans had to go through to prove their illnesses were related to Agent Orange exposure.
“I refuse to repeat the mistake when it comes to veterans of our Iraq and Afghan wars,” Biden told the veterans after touring the Fort Worth VA Clinic.
Biden outlined how the federal government has increased funding for research into toxic exposure and sped up the process of identifying cancer among veterans and determining whether they are related to burn pit exposure. He said a big priority is making sure veterans don’t suffer in limbo for decades waiting for claims to be processed, something many have complained about.
“When the evidence doesn’t give a clear answer one way or another, the decision we should favor is caring for our veterans. Not waiting,” Biden said during what was his second visit to Texas since he took office in 2021.
“We owe you,” Biden told the veterans in the crowd.
Biden said he wants better databases to track soldiers’ exposure to burn pits before they even leave the service to make it easier to get their claims processed.
The message was a continuance of a point Biden made last week in his State of the Union Address when he recounted the suffering of soldiers exposed to toxic burn pits and pushed Congress to do more.
As recently as 2018, just 2,097 burn pit victims had been granted compensation for disabilities related to them. The tax-free disability awards are calculated according to severity of the condition and can range from $100 monthly up to $2,000, money that sick veterans say can make a big difference in their lives.
260,000 cases of documented burn pit exposure
During the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the military routinely used open-air burn pits, some more than an acre in size, to incinerate chemicals, weapons, munitions, plastics and even body parts.
Soldiers who were stationed near the pits have been pushing the VA to do more to care for those who report serious health issues after the exposure. More than 80 percent of veterans in those two wars have reported being exposed to burn pits, according to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, an advocacy group.
Texas, with 1.4 million veterans, has had by far the most former soldiers on the VA’s Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry that tracks cases. VA data shows 31,615 Texans are on the list — nearly twice as many as any other state. In total, more than 260,000 people have documented exposure to burn pits.
Texas members of Congress have grown frustrated with delays by the VA to awarding disability benefits.
“For too long, our nation has failed to uphold our sacred obligation to fight for veterans like they fought for us,” U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, said last week just before the U.S. House passed legislation to push the VA to do more. “During our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, countless veterans were exposed to toxic burn pits that robbed them of their health and changed the trajectory of their lives. After returning home, they faced an uphill battle to get the services they deserved.”
The U.S. Senate is also working on legislation to increase the VA’s training, research, and clinical work for service members who were exposed to burn pits and toxic substances while deployed. Both U.S. Sens John Cornyn and Ted Cruz are backing that legislation.
Harris County and Bexar County have the two highest populations of veterans in the state.
Part of Biden’s bipartisan push
Biden’s trip to Texas was also aimed at trying to present himself as a bipartisan problem-solver at a time his approval ratings have suffered heading into the mid-term elections this year. During the event, Biden gave Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley, a Republican, and U.S. Rep. Jake Ellzey, R-Waxahachie, chances to address the crowd and set a bipartisan tone.
“At the end of the day, we don’t put an R or a D in front of veteran,” Ellzey said. “They are just veterans.”
Biden later said of Ellzey: “Jake’s a Republican, but I like the hell out of him.”
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters shortly before Biden’s arrival in Texas on Tuesday that “addressing veterans’ health issues is a bipartisan issue and a core pillar of the President’s Unity Agenda.”
But that meant little to Republicans who blasted Biden during his visit to Texas.
“Instead of witnessing his border crisis or meeting with American energy producers, Biden would rather buy oil from terrorist regimes and let millions of illegal immigrants flow into the country,” Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement to reporters. “Americans are paying for Biden’s abject failure.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Biden announced plans to ban all Russian oil and gas imports as continued sanctions against that nation for its invasion of Ukraine.
“That means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable at U.S. ports, and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putin’s war machine,” Biden said before departing for Texas.
Later after arriving in Fort Worth, he was asked by reporters about rising gas prices. Biden acknowledged they’re going to continue going up.
“Russia is responsible,” he said.
jeremy.wallace@chron.com