President Biden Hosts a Town Hall for Veterans to Discuss the PACT ACT
President Biden participates in a town hall with veterans and discusses the historic expansion of benefits in the PACT Act (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz).
Over four months have passed since the Act was passed, and most veterans are still unaware of the care they could be receiving.
Article by Tommy Lynch, Junior White House Correspondent
NEW CASTLE, Del - President Biden held a town hall at the National Guard/Reserve Center in New Castle, Delaware to discuss the PACT Act and how it will impact veterans across the United States.
The Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, or PACT Act, grants benefits to veterans who may have been exposed to incredibly harmful toxins while serving the country, inhaling them from things like burn pits in Iraq to the problematic “Agent Orange” from the Vietnam War.
As it currently stands, the PACT Act could be hugely beneficial to numerous veterans. However, many veterans do not know what it is and have therefore not registered to receive benefits. Through the town halls that will be occurring across the country, President Biden hopes to change this narrative.
To begin the town hall, Denis McDonough, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, discussed the PACT Act and how important it is that it was passed. The way McDonough sees it, this is the way the government can give back to the veterans who protect us.
“Whenever somebody signs up to serve our country in the military, we have what the President calls a 'sacred obligation’ to them and their families,” McDonough said, “...If you fight for us, we will fight for you.”
McDonough also focused on spreading awareness of the law in order to make sure every veteran who is eligible can benefit from it.
“We will not rest until every single veteran and survivor knows about this new law, understands what it means for them, and gets the care and benefits they’ve earned.” He said, “That's what our country owes you.”
Following McDonough was Delaware Senator Tom Carper. Carper is the last serving Vietnam veteran serving in the Senate, and has seen how something like the PACT Act can benefit veterans right now. Not only has Carper served, but he comes from a family of soldiers who fought and died protecting the country.
“This bill is going to save lives. A lot of them,” Carper said.
Carper introduced President Biden to the podium, who took a minute to honor First Lieutenant Ray Firmani, a 102 year old veteran who flew 25 missions in World War II. Biden then talked about how this bill will not only affect veterans like Lieutenant Firmani, but will extend all the way to post 9/11 veterans.
“These are women and men who are enormously consequential to not only the physical safety of this country, but…the character of America,” Biden said.
For President Biden, the PACT Act is an important step in helping protect veterans who have returned home who are suffering from illnesses that are not always easy to see.
“We’re determined to do something about this, come hell or high water, and I mean that,” Biden said.
Before the PACT Act, veterans who were exposed to toxins such as Agent Orange had to go through a rigorous process of proving that the exposure was the cause of their sickness. Now, a veteran simply has to prove that they were impacted by the toxins.
“Why should the burden be on the victim to demonstrate the problems they've suffered?” Asked Biden, “...Now the PACT Act brings us one closer to fulfilling that sacred obligation.”
Through the PACT Act, veterans have access to resources such as exposure screenings and testing for cancers that could have been caused by exposure. There is also more research being conducted and more healthcare workers available to help sick veterans. Furthermore, if a veteran is killed by the toxins, their family could potentially receive insurance aid and educational funding.
The PACT Act is incredibly important to President Biden on a personal level, as his son Beau was exposed to toxins while serving overseas and ultimately lost his life from them.
While the PACT Act is a great start, Biden expressed the need to pass the Bipartisan Government Funding Bill, which would allow them to better work for the American people.