Pennsylvania's Bob Casey urges Senate to pass burn pit bill

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey is blaming Senate Republicans for holding up a bill that he said would provide health care funding to help veterans suffering from illnesses related to toxic exposure from burn pits.

Burn pits were common at military sites outside the United States, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan. Large trenches were dug to burn and dispose of sewage, medical waste and other trash. The Department of Veterans Affairs has said smoke from the pits contains “substances that may have short- and long-term health effects.”

“These veterans (exposed to burn pits) have been waiting for years. Why the hell is this (legislation) being held up?” Casey, D-Scranton, said Monday in a call with members of the news media.

A bill known as the PACT Act would expand health care benefits to millions of veterans whose military service included exposure to burn pits. It initially passed in June by a vote of 84-14, with 34 Republicans joining the Democratic and independent senators.

Administrative issues resulted in another vote being taken on the bill in July, at which time 25 Republican senators flipped their votes to hold up its passage.

Casey said he spoke with Michelle Laird, who lost her husband Scott last year. Scott, who had been deployed to Iraq in 2008, died of colon cancer. Michelle and Scott’s doctor believe that his death resulted from exposure to burn pits.

Andy Chomko, an Army veteran who spoke during Monday’s news conference, said he doesn’t understand why the bill is now being held up. He said he will always remember the smell of a burn pit, and urged the senate to pass the PACT Act.

“Families like these don’t want the United States senate to hold up this bill,” Casey said.

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Lehigh Valley, has led the opposition to the PACT Act. He tweeted last week that a provision in the bill would allow for $400 billion in spending that is “completely unrelated to veterans’ care.”

“My concern about this bill has nothing to do with the purpose of the bill. It’s not about the approximately $280 billion of new spending that is meant to be required under this bill for the VA to cover Medicare and … other benefits for veterans who are exposed to toxic burn pits,” Toomey said in a floor speech last Wednesday.

Toomey said he would support the bill if his amendment to address the budgetary provision is accepted.

Casey said he doesn’t buy the explanations from Toomey and other Republicans who now oppose the bill.

Casey said some Republicans are now opposing the PACT Act out of anger for Democrats’ newly announced Inflation Reduction Act. It would allocate hundreds of billions of dollars to tackle climate change, lower health care costs and lower the deficit by raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations.

Casey described the PACT Act as probably the most important veterans bill of his career, and he said he would like to see it pass by the end of the month.

“This bill is essential to meet our obligation to them,” he said. “These veterans already served their obligation.”