U.S. Senate votes to advance burn pits victims’ bill in move toward final vote
2022.06.15 20:56
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FILE PHOTO: U.S. Marines dispose of trash in a burn pit while stopping for a sandstorm to pass during a convoy to Patrol Base Sre Kalad in Khan Neshin District, Afghanistan March 3, 2012. Picture taken March 3, 2012. Cpl. Alfred V. Lopez/U.S. Marines/Hand
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By Moira Warburton
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Legislation to improve health care and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic military burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan advanced with bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, clearing the way for a final vote.
The legislation, which would cost $180 billion over four years, would cover injuries suffered by service members exposed to toxic smoke from the burn pits, which has been linked to respiratory illnesses and rare cancers.
It also expands federal research on the impact of the burn pits, which were used by the U.S. military until the mid-2010s to dispose of plastics, chemicals, human waste and other garbage on foreign bases in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries.
President Joe Biden highlighted the legislation in his State of the Union speech in March. His son, Beau, died of a rare brain cancer in 2015 after serving for a year in Iraq in 2009.
