>>> ON MEMORIAL DAY, WE REMEMBER
THE HEROES WHO ANSWERED THE CALL
AND MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE
FOR OUR COUNTRY.
BUT ON THIS DAY, WE ALSO
REMEMBER THE SOLDIERS WHO MADE
IT HOME AND ARE SUFFERING.
SOMETIMES, DUE TO LACK OF
SERVICES AND SUPPORT FROM THEIR
GOVERNMENT, A GROWING NUMBER OF
U.S. VETERANS WHO SERVED IN
IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN, KUWAIT AND
OTHER COUNTRIES SAY THEYVE
DEVELOPED SERIOUS HEALTH
PROBLEMS AFTER FACING PROLONGED
EXPOSURE TO FLAMING TRASH PILES
KNOWN AS BURN PITS AT OVERSEAS
BASES WHERE HUMAN AND MEDICAL
WASTE, CHEMICALS AND OTHER ITEMS
WERE BURNED WITH JET FUEL AND
OTHER FLAMMABLES.
MANY OF THEM HAVE DIED.
IN THE 2020 SURVEY OF 1,700
MEMBERS OF THE IRAQ AND
AFGHANISTAN VETERANS OF AMERICA,
86% SAY THEY WERE EXPOSED TO
BURN PITS OR AIRBORNE TOXIC
CHEMICALS.
88% BELIEVE THEY MAY OR HAVE
BEEN EXPERIENCING RELATED
SYMPTOMS.
THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT ALSO
ESTIMATES THAT ROUGHLY
3.5 MILLION SERVICE MEMBERS
COULD HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO THESE
FLAMING TRASH PILES.
YET, THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS
AFFAIRS HAS DENIED 75% OF
VETERANS BURN PIT CLAIMS
BECAUSE NEARLY 20 YEARS AFTER
THE U.S. LED INVASION OF
AFGHANISTAN AND 30 YEARS AFTER
DESERT STORM, THE U.S. STILL
DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE A DEFINITE
CONNECTION BETWEEN THE BURN PITS
AND VETERANS AILMENTS, LIMITING
SERVICE MEMBERS ABILITY TO GET
ADEQUATE TREATMENT.
VETERANS SAY THEYVE ENCOUNTERED
RESISTANCE WHILE SEEKING
TREATMENT FROM THE VA HEALTH
SYSTEM BECAUSE THE BURDEN IS ON
THEM TO PROVE THAT EXPOSURE TO
BURN PITS IS THE CAUSE OF THEIR
HEALTH PROBLEMS, BUT THIS COULD
ALL CHANGE SOON.
>> TODAY, I AM SO PROUD TO
UNVEIL OUR NEW BILL.
THIS COMPREHENSIVE PACKAGE
COVERS EVERY ASPECT OF TOXIC
EXPOSURES AND IS BASED ON 15
BILLS FROM MEMBERS ON BOTH SIDES
OF THE AISLE.
>> THAT IS HOUSE VETERAN AFFAIRS
COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN MARK TAKANO,
DEMOCRAT OF CALIFORNIA,
INTRODUCING BROAD TOXIC
EXPOSURES LEGISLATION, ADDING A
LIST OF 23 CANCERS AND
RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES THAT WOULD
QUALIFY VETERANS FOR VA
DISABILITY HEALTHCARE BENEFITS.
SIMILAR LEGISLATION HAS BEEN
INTRODUCED IN THE SENATE BY
VETERAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
CHAIRMAN JOHN TESTER, DEMOCRAT
OF MONTANA.
SENATOR TESTER IS PUSHING FOR
ALL VETERANS WHO SERVED IN
OVERSEAS CONFLICTS IN THE LAST
31 YEARS TO BE GRANTED
PRESUMPTIVE BENEFIT STATUS FOR A
HOST OF ILLNESSES, INCLUDING
VIETNAM VETERANS WHO MIGHT HAVE
DEVELOPED HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
AFTER BEING EXPOSED TO AGENT
ORANGE, A CHEMICAL DEFOAL I
CANT USED BY THE U.S. MILITARY
DURING THE VIETNAM WAR.
JOINING US NOW, JEREMY BUTLER,
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE
IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN VETERANS OF
AMERICA.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE
TIME.
LET ME START WITH THIS WHOLE
QUESTION ABOUT BURN PITS.
SOME SAY ARE TO POST-9/11
SOLDIERS WHAT AGENT ORANGE IS TO
VIETNAM VETERANS.
DO YOU BUY THE VAS REASON FOR
SO IN DENIALS OR IS THIS A CASE
OF IGNORING WHATS IN FRONT OF
THEM, NOT LEARNING THE LESSONS
FROM AGENT ORANGE?
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME AND
THANKS FOR HAVING THAT QUESTION
BECAUSE ITS EXACTLY THE LATTER.
THE VA HAS KNOWN THAT THIS IS A
PROBLEM.
THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE HAS
KNOWN THIS IS A PROBLEM.
THIS IS NOTHING NEW.
WHAT IT IS IS THE GOVERNMENT NOT
WANTING TO PAY THE FULL COST OF
WAR.
ITS NOT A SURPRISE TO ANYBODY
THAT BREATHING IN, DAY IN, DAY
OUT, NOXIOUS FUMES, BURNT
PLASTIC, BODY PARTS, BATTERIES,
AMMUNITION, BREATHING THESE IN,
DAY AFTER DAY FOR A YEARLONG
DEPLOYMENT, SEVERAL MEMBERS
DEPLOYING MULTIPLE TIMES, ITS
NOT A SURPRISE THAT THIS IS
GOING TO RESULT IN RARE CANCERS,
RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES, ALL OF
THE ABOVE, BUT THE PROBLEM IS
THAT THE VA REFUSES TO PROVIDE
HEALTHCARE FOR THOSE VETERANS
THAT HAVE COME DOWN VERY ILL
WITH THESE, AND THEYRE
LITERALLY DYING.
WE ARE LOSING SERVICE MEMBERS.
WE HAVE LOST SERVICE MEMBERS.
SO, IT IS WELL OVERDUE.
WERE REALLY HAPPY THAT BOTH THE
SENATE AND THE HOUSE ARE SO
CLOSE TO PASSING THIS VERY
COMPREHENSIVE LEGISLATION.
UNFORTUNATELY, I THINK ITS
GOING TO COME DOWN TO FIGHTS
OVER MONEY.
I THINK THERES GOING TO BE
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS THAT ARE
GOING TO SAY, IF YOU LIST ALL
23, IF NOT MORE, OF THESE
ILLNESSES, WE, THE GOVERNMENT,
ARE GOING TO HAVE TO PAY A LOT
OF MONEY TO TAKE CARE OF THESE
VETERANS, BUT THAT COULD NOT BE
A QUESTION.
IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY, AS A
GOVERNMENT, AS A COUNTRY, TO
TAKE CARE OF THESE SICK
VETERANS.
>> YOU, IN FACT, WROTE AN OP-ED
WITH GENERAL DAVID PETRAUS
TITLED, A MEMORIAL DAY APPEAL TO
CONGRESS.
HELP SERVICE MEMBERS WITH TOXIC
BURN PIT EXPOSURE.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT
YOUR SPECIFIC APPEAL TO MEMBERS
OF CONGRESS, TO PRESIDENT BIDEN,
AND DO YOU FEEL YOURE MAKING
PROGRESS?
>> THANK YOU.
I REALLY DO THINK WE ARE MAKING
PROGRESS, AND THE APPEAL HERE IS
TO INCLUDE THE LARGE NUMBER OF
ILLNESSES THAT WE KNOW ARE
CAUSED BY EXPOSURE TO THESE
TYPES OF TOXINS.
YOU MENTIONED THE TWO BILLS
RIGHT NOW.
THE REAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE
HOUSE BILL AND THE SENATE BILL
ARE THE NUMBER OF COVERED
ILLNESSES.
THE HOUSE BILL HAS ABOUT 23.
THE SENATE BILL HAS, I THINK,
LESS THAN 15, MAYBE 12 TO 15,
AND THATS A HUGE DIFFERENCE,
BECAUSE THE ONES THAT ARE
EXCLUDED ARE THE ONES THAT WE
KNOW ARE REALLY THE RESULT OF
MANY OF THESE EXPOSURES, AND SO
IF WERE GOING TO DO THIS, WE
NEED TO DO IT RIGHT, AND WE NEED
TO DO IT NOW.
AS YOU MENTIONED, I THINK, IN
THE LEAD-UP TO THE STORY, WERE
STILL DEALING WITH ILLNESSES
THAT ARE CAUSED FROM AGENT
ORANGE EXPOSURE TO OUR VIETNAM
VETERANS.
SO, SO MANY DECADES LATER, WERE
STILL DEALING WITH THAT.
WERE 20 YEARS ON NOW FROM THE
START OF THESE WARS.
WE DONT WANT TO BE IN THE SAME
CASE WHERE WERE MAKING
PIECEMEAL CHANGES TO GIVE
VETERANS THE HEALTHCARE THAT
THEY DESERVE.
>> WERE ALMOST OUT OF TIME BUT
I WANT TO MENTION QUICKLY THAT
PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS SAID HE
SUSPECTS TOXIC EXPOSURE IN IRAQ
CONTRIBUTED TO HIS SON, BEAU
BIDENS DEATH, BUT HE CANT
PROVE IT.
THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES FIND
THEMSELVES IN THAT SAME
SITUATION.
SO, WHAT DO WE DO AS A NATION TO
HIGHLIGHT THIS PROBLEM?
HOW DO WE GET TO THAT PLACE?
>> YEP.
AND WERE DOING IT RIGHT NOW.
SO, THANK YOU, CHRIS, FOR
TALKING ABOUT THIS.
I THINK WHAT IS HAPPENING IS
MORE AND MORE STORIES ARE
GETTING OUT.
PEOPLE ARE SEEING THE TRUE COST
OF THESE WARS.
THEYRE SEEING THESE VETERANS
THAT ARE LITERALLY ON THEIR
DEATH BED BECAUSE OF THE
EXPOSURE, BECAUSE OF THE CANCERS
THAT THEYVE COME DOWN WITH,
BECAUSE OF THE RESPIRATORY
ILLNESSES.
THE MORE AND MORE WE CAN SHOW
THE INDIVIDUAL VETERANS AND THE
FAMILIES THAT ARE SUFFERING FROM
THIS, I THINK THE GREATER CHANCE
THERE IS THAT CONGRESS IS GOING
TO PASS THE COMPREHENSIVE
LEGISLATION THAT WE NEED TO
KNOW, THAT WE NEED, SO I THINK
THE BIGGEST THING WERE ASKING
EVERYONE TO DO IS TO TALK ABOUT
THIS.
MAKE SURE YOUR MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS KNOW THAT YOU SUPPORT
THE LEGISLATION AND SHARE THE
STORIES OF THE VETERANS AND THE
FAMILIES THAT ARE SUFFERING SO
MUCH RIGHT NOW.
>> WELL, WE THANK YOU FOR TAKING
THE TIME TO TALK ABOUT IT,