WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — Comedian and talk show host Jon Stewart, who has been a vocal advocate of health care for first responders, gave a passionate speech outside the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, pleading with lawmakers to pass a bill that would dramatically boost health care services and disability benefits for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"This wait is unconscionable," Stewart said in a press conference that included Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. The Honoring Our Pact Act passed the House earlier this month but has yet to be voted on in the Senate.
Stewart attributed the delay to "nonsense" from lawmakers who say they want to support veterans "the right way."
"You know what would have been nice? If they had been responsible 20 years ago and hadn't spent trillions of dollars on overseas adventures," Stewart said. "If they had been responsible and hadn't spent billions of dollars for defense contractors to poison our own troops."
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, burn pits are areas where waste from war is incinerated. The VA adds that the open-air combustion of trash and other waste in burn pits was a common practice of military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other areas of Southwest Asia.
Common materials incinerated in burn pits included human waste, paint, metal cans, food waste, unexploded ordnance, lubricant products, plastics, rubber and wood, according to the VA.
Exposure to these burn pits could cause short-term effects such as irritation and burning of the eyes or throat, coughing, breathing difficulties, skin itching, or rashes. The long-term effects are still being researched, according to the VA.
Supporters of the current measure say the bill is a clear recognition from Congress that veterans were exposed to toxic substances, are suffering as a result and that the process of proving to the VA that their illness was caused by their exposure is too burdensome.
Opponents say the legislation would grant health and disability benefits to many veterans whose conditions may not have anything to do with their military service. They expressed worry that the influx of cases would tax an already stressed VA system, leading to longer wait times for health care and processing disability claims.
10 Tampa Bay followed the journey of one local veteran who experienced health issues from toxic exposure during service. Lauren Price only spent 11 months in Iraq, but one of her primary jobs was driving trucks to and from burn pits.
After fighting to receive proper benefits from the VA, she founded Veteran Warriors and testified before Congress numerous times fighting for burn pit veterans and their families. Lauren passed away on March 30, 2021, after developing a blood clot.
10 Tampa Bay digital producer Andrea Chu contributed to this report.