Bipartisan support grows on the Hill for reform of burn pit vet support system

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hi, said in a press conference Wednesday that there's a push on Capitol Hill for approval of the Burn Pits Accountability Act. (gabbard.house.gov)

Congressional members from both sides of the aisle came together on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to urge lawmakers to fast-track a benefits package that would provide assistance to veterans who became ill after their exposure to burn pits.

Reps. Brian Mast, R-Fl,  and Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hi, joined advocacy group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) at the Capitol Triangle, where they made the case for pushing forward help for the tens of thousands of veterans who have become gravely ill due to contact with the crude method of waste disposal used during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

“Too many of our post 9/11 veterans, after facing prolonged exposure to toxic burn pits, are suffering from debilitating and deadly illnesses,” Gabbard said during the press conference near the Capitol Building. “This is still not being addressed, even after how we have seen our Vietnam veterans suffered from Agent Orange exposure.”

“The result of our government failing to acknowledge and address their illnesses. .. We can’t allow another generation of veterans to suffer in the same way and be cast aside.”

Gabbard also said that they are pushing for approval of the Burn Pits Accountability Act, which would ensure the evaluation of the exposure of U.S. service members to open burn pits and toxic airborne chemicals. Her efforts championing this cause have led to bi-partisan support by 147 co-sponsors on the Hill and 25 military and veteran organizations.

Mast, who is one of the co-sponsors, also expressed the need for the bill to go forward.

“The bottom line is this,” he said. “All of our veterans are reliable. That’s one of the easiest things we can say about anyone that puts the uniform on. When we call upon them, they are there…but that’s not the reliability they see out of our governmental affairs.”

The recent headaches with delayed GI bill payments were also mentioned at Wednesday’s press conference. Both Gabbard and Mast said that the issue, which left hundreds of vets with delayed or incorrect payments due to the VA’s aging computer systems, needed to be addressed by Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie immediately, charging it has hindered the financial security of those veterans who were affected by the snafu.

"The VA's response around the late and incorrect GI Bill payments has been slow, insufficient, and incomplete,” Melissa Bryant, Chief Policy Officer for IAVA, said in a statement.