Post from August 10, 2022
Garamendi Joins his Congressional Colleagues and President Biden at the White House to Sign the PACT Act Into Law
President Biden signs the Honoring Our PACT Act at the White House, surrounded by veterans exposed to burn pit fumes and the families of burn pit victims.
Rep. Garamendi poses with Rep Matt Cartwright (D-PA) at the PACT Act signing ceremony.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA), Chair of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, joined President Biden at the White House to sign the Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022 ¬(Honoring our PACT Act) into law. The measure cleared the House in early July with a vote of 342-88, passed the U.S. Senate on August Second, and then headed to President Joe Biden’s desk - honoring the call he made to Congress during his State of the Union earlier this year. Action on the Honoring our PACT Act has been delayed for almost a week after 41 Republican Senators voted against considering the legislation on July 27.
The Honoring our PACT Act will finally treat toxic exposure as a cost of war by addressing the full range of issues impacting toxic-exposed veterans, including access to earned benefits and healthcare through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
“I am incredibly pleased to Join President Biden and my Congressional colleagues today to finally sign the Honoring our PACT Act into law,” Garamendi said. “This comprehensive bill will address the effects of toxic exposure from things like burn pits for all current and future veterans.
“As Chair of the Readiness Subcommittee, I previously introduced the “OATH Act” to ensure veterans can receive care through the VA for health issues related to burn pit exposure and exposure to other toxic substances,” Garamendi continued. “I have worked to address this issue during my full tenure as Readiness Chair, and I was pleased to support the Honoring our PACT Act when it cleared the House with an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote. America’s veterans demanded action, and I am pleased to join President Biden today to sign this legislation into law and deliver the support and relief our veterans deserve,” Garamendi concluded.
Background: The Honoring Our Promise To Address Comprehensive Toxics Act Of 2021 Or Honoring Our PACT Act is legislation that will finally treat toxic exposure as a cost of war by addressing the full range of issues impacting toxic-exposed veterans including access to earned benefits and healthcare through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The legislation first passed the House earlier this year with a bipartisan vote of 256-174, a Senate vote of 84 to 14, and a second House vote of 342 to 88. It has the strong support of 42 Veterans Service Organizations, Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Schumer, the Biden-Harris Administration, and advocates Jon Stewart and John Feal.
Original source can be found here.
