Rep. Welch helped lead the bill through the House earlier this year

“The bipartisan Honoring Our PACT Act takes a long overdue step to ensure veterans exposed to toxic burn pit fumes can access essential health care and benefits. Burn pits are detrimental to the health of our servicemembers, and their use is — and always has been — unacceptable. We cannot undo the damage caused by burn pits, but we can make sure that no veteran struggles to access the medical care they need for health conditions caused by exposure to these toxic fumes. This legislation takes a big step towards that goal. 

I am pleased to see this critical legislation pass the Senate with bipartisan support, and Vermonters should be proud to know that our veterans and their families were at the forefront of bringing this issue to the attention of Congress. It has been a privilege to work with our veterans and their families over the years in the fight to address the impact of burn pit exposure. I especially want to highlight the work of June Heston and Pat Cram, whose determined advocacy has been inspirational and effective and has contributed in a major way to this legislation’s bipartisan success. With their help and that of other Vermont veterans and their families, we can keep fighting to get every veteran the care and support they need. I look forward to its final passage in the House next week and the President signing it into law.”

Original source can be found here.