Pelosi Floor Speech on H.R. 3967 the Honoring Our PACT Act

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered remarks on the Floor of the House of Representatives in support of H.R. 3967,the Honoring Our PACT Act of 2021. Below are the Speaker's remarks:

Speaker Pelosi. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the gentleman for yielding, for his kind words, which I accept on behalf of our working in a bipartisan way for our Democrats – for our veterans over the years, Democrats and Republicans.

And I thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your extraordinary leadership, both in this case and earlier, for our veterans. Whether it was completing our Agent Orange responsibilities to our veterans as well.

I thank Congressman Ruiz, a doctor and a Member of Congress who has been a champion on this issue, and Elaine Luria, a veteran and a Member of this Congress who has been so instrumental in bringing this legislation to the Floor.

When we – when the President spoke last night about meeting the needs of our veterans, when it came to the burn pits, he received almost a unanimous standing ovation for that. And it was very encouraging to see the Congress of the United States – House and Senate, Democrats and Republicans – recognize their obligation to our men and women in uniform.

It's important to note that, over the past generation, over three million of our courageous Americans have answered the call to serve and have donned the uniform to protect our freedoms as heroic Americans, just as people have done since our founding. From the deserts of Iraq to the mountains of Afghanistan – I was hearing this morning about Kandahar – and on bases and military theatres around the world, these heroes have risked their lives to fight the enemy – and yet tragically, have had to face another deadly threat due to exposure to burn pits and other toxic substances.

We always say about our military: on the battlefield, we leave no soldier behind, and when they come home, we leave no veteran behind. We want them – instead of receiving comprehensive timely care and benefits, sometimes they are forced to confront a disability claims process that is nearly impossible to navigate.

That is why the Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act – the PACT Act – finally, faithfully fulfills that pledge now and into the future, that we will leave no veteran behind.

The budget costs of it are a cost of war. When we decide we need to engage and initiate in a military action, we should understand that the cost is not just in our defense budget, but also in our veterans budget when they come home.

Frankly, the cost of this bill is a fraction – if we're talking budget – of the cost of the Republican tax bill that they passed in 2017, which added $2 trillion to the national debt. I didn't hear anybody complaining about – on the other side of the aisle – about the impact that had on veterans and their concerns about the fiscal soundness of the United States.

So let's just put to rest: if it is a cost that we must have for our veterans, that we must have for our veterans – and this has been thoroughly researched, and others will speak to that – then we cannot say we can't afford it. It isn't about the price; it's about the value of what we get for this. And so in the last 20 years, the VA has seen over a 60 percent increase in rates of cancer due to toxic exposure – 86 percent of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan report being exposed to the toxic fumes of burn pits. And 88 percent of those exposed said they were experiencing symptoms that could be related to that.

Potentially up to 3.5 million veterans deployed post-9/11 may have been exposed to toxic fumes and substances. Despite this reality, nearly 75 percent of burn pit-related disability claims were denied, Mr. Speaker – were denied. Too often, the VA and Congress have said, ‘It's just too expensive to care for' and ‘there just isn't enough proof.'

The result of this negligence has been tragic. Thousands of veterans and families have been forced to suffer, including heroes like one I will quote: Staff Sergeant Wesley Black. Staff Sergeant Black was a Purple Heart Hero who survived two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. In November, he died at age 36 from colon cancer tied to toxic exposure from burn pits, leaving behind his wife and new baby. After serving his country with distinction, Sergeant Black should have been able to retire happily, with pride. Instead, he spent his final days fighting for the reforms contained in this legislation, so that no current or future veteran would be forced to endure the same horror that he and his family did.

He said – before his passing, he said, Staff Sergeant Wesley Black said, ‘It's too late for me. But it's not too late for the next veteran who walks down the hall of the VA and goes in and complains about the signs and symptoms.'

We must make sure that it is not too late for other veterans – I say – and that when we send our Servicemen and women into harm's way, we care for them when they come home.

This is particularly important to me because a long time ago – long before I was in Congress, 1981 – I sat with veterans in California, with Dick Gregory, who was making a big association with the cause for Agent Orange. 1981, California, veterans having a hunger strike. Dick Gregory knew about hunger strikes from the Civil Rights Movement, and he was – he was associating himself with them and instructing them how to survive a hunger strike. And I had the privilege of being with them. Little did I know at that time it would take decades to address their Agent Orange concerns. And it wasn't even complete until Mr. Takano, Mr. Chairman, did so with the Naval legislation – the Navy legislation that he passed.

We cannot let that much time go by. That would be shameful to our country.

So, again, let us also thank Mr. Cartwright who also included in this package the Camp Lejeune Justice Act. Anyone who has heard from those families coming from Camp Lejeune, not just the Servicemember but their family members who have been damaged, related to injuries incurred while serving at Camp Lejeune. The list goes on.

So again, thank you Chairman Takano, thank you Congressman Raul Ruiz, thank you Elaine Luria, thank you Matt Cartwright, thank you all who have worked so hard to bring this to the Floor. And I want to also salute Chairman Tester in the Senate with whom Mark – Congressman, Chairman Takano and our Committee have worked closely. We share a goal: we have to find the complete package so – that is comprehensive and fulfills our responsibilities. Others will go into the particulars of it.

I want to also salute the distinguished Secretary of VA, Denis McDonough, for the attention that he is paid to making sure what we do honors the promise of the PACT Act – that it is able to deliver in a timely fashion, so that the bill is written in a way that delivers in a timely fashion to our veterans.

I could not have been more excited when the President of the United States included this important initiative in his remarks – not only as legislation but in the larger issue of what it means to our country, how we value our veterans and how we want to pass this legislation and get it to his desk soon. So it will be a comfort to our veterans and their families that on the battlefield, we leave no soldier behind, and when they come home, we leave no veterans behind.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I yield back.