Toxic Military Burn Pits
Floor Speech
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Mr. BILIRAKIS. Madam Speaker, I want to thank my good friend, Dr. Ruiz, for organizing this very important Special Order. I know he is a terrific doctor, and the fact that he has sacrificed to be here, to complete the mission. I appreciate it so very much. I have a similar story as well, but we must complete this mission as soon as possible. As Jennifer said, this is the Agent Orange of our era.
Providing the care and support for our veterans, our Nation's heroes, has been one of my top priorities since I was elected to Congress, and I will continue to fight to ensure that our veterans get the benefits they deserve.
As a matter of fact, after one of our hearings a few years ago on the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, we had many veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange. Their families were present with them, their children were present with them, and I invited them into my office. One-on-one, they told me the stories of what happened. The spouses would tell me: my husband, my wife, was exposed, and now he or she can't work. Who is going to support the family? What is going to happen to these children if their father or mother passes away? Who is going to take care of them? They need healthcare now. They need their benefits now.
We can't wait any longer, Madam Speaker. Burn pits are the Agent Orange of our era, as Jennifer said. And the fact that we haven't resolved the issue of burn pit exposure is an absolute disservice to our veterans. They were exposed, and we must help them.
I have fought for over multiple Congresses, with my colleague Dr. Ruiz and my colleague Brad Wenstrup from the great State of Ohio, leading and sponsoring numerous pieces of legislation to get toxic- exposed veterans the treatment and benefits they deserve, because many cannot afford to wait any longer.
Tragically, one of our veterans came to me a few years ago, Lauren Price. Similar to Dr. Ruiz and Jennifer, we made it our mission to get this done. During Lauren's service to our country, she was exposed to burn pits. This past spring, she sadly passed away due to an illness linked to her burn pit exposure, but not before taking up the cause for her fellow veterans to make sure they or their families would not have to experience the same suffering she and her family experienced. Lauren knew that she was going to pass away, but she wanted to make it better for her fellow veterans. Her goal was to pass this legislation and similar legislation that Dr. Ruiz and I have cosponsored over the years.
I was incredibly moved to see her husband and my good friend, Jim Price, continue this tireless advocacy by testifying as a witness before the Veterans' Affairs Committee just this past year in support of the TEAM Act, which would comprehensively address toxic exposures now and in the future.
This critical bill adopts provisions for my legislation that I previously authored, the Protection for Veterans' Burn Pit Exposure Act.
I urge Congress to take up and pass the TEAM Act immediately. If we are going to be spending money, Madam Speaker, let's spend it on our heros.
I am also proud to co-lead a host of additional burn pit legislative fixes with Dr. Ruiz and urge immediate action in the House and Senate on H.R. 4398, H.R. 4397, H.R. 2432, and H.R. 2371.
While both H.R. 4398 and H.R. 4397 were included in the House version of the NDAA, we must continue pushing until they are across the finish line and signed by the President.
Again, I thank my good friend, Dr. Ruiz, for organizing this Special Order. I can't think of a more worthy cause than providing for these veterans in their time of need, just as they provided for our country when we needed them. Let's get this done for our veterans.
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