President Joe Biden told hundreds of veterans in Fort Worth Tuesday that he’s going to make sure 9/11-era soldiers exposed to toxic burn pits don’t suffer the indignities Vietnam veterans went through to prove their illnesses were related to Agent Orange.
President Joe Biden shakes hands with veteran John Caruso as Biden tour's the Fort Worth VA Clinic in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, March 8, 2022. President Joe Biden told hundreds of veterans here Tuesday that he’s determined to make sure 9/11-era soldiers exposed to toxic burn pits don’t suffer the indignities that Vietnam veterans had to go through to prove their illnesses were related to Agent Orange exposure.
“When the evidence doesn’t give a clear answer one way or another, the decision we should favor is caring for our veterans. Not waiting,” Biden said during what was his second visit to Texas since he took office in 2021.Biden said he wants better databases to track soldiers’ exposure to burn pits before they even leave the service to make it easier to get their claims processed.
Texas, with 1.4 million veterans, has had by far the most former soldiers on the VA’s Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry that tracks cases. VA data shows 31,615 Texans are on the list — nearly twice as many as any other state. In total, more than 260,000 people have documented exposure to burn pits.
The U.S. Senate is also working on legislation to increase the VA’s training, research, and clinical work for service members who were exposed to burn pits and toxic substances while deployed. Both U.S. Sens John Cornyn and Ted Cruz are backing that legislation.Part of Biden’s bipartisan push