Protecting Our Gold Star Families Education Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our PACT Act.

When the House first passed the PACT Act in March, I spoke on the floor and urged my colleagues to find a bipartisan solution to give toxic-exposed veterans the care and support that we as a country owe them. This bill is that bipartisan solution, and I am proud to support it.

As a 24-year military veteran, I have seen firsthand the effects that toxic exposure has had on my fellow servicemembers, whether it is herbicides like Agent Orange in southeast Asia or burn pits in the Middle East.

In fact, my knowledge is so intimate that my husband, who is also a 30-year veteran, and I, have a close friend, Jay, who, after his deployment to Desert Storm, that very brief conflict, in coming back to the United States came off of the plane and collapsed. He developed a heart condition called cardiomyopathy, which led this 30-year-old to have a heart transplant, aseptic necrosis of his hip with a replacement of his hip, and soon his untimely and young death.

Exposure to these substances can lead to severe life-altering diseases. However, under the current system at the VA, it can be extraordinarily costly, time-consuming, and in some cases, impossible for a sick or disabled veteran to prove that their condition is related to the toxins to which they were exposed during their military service.

The bill we are voting on today ensures that this will no longer be the case. Under the framework created by the PACT Act, toxic-exposed veterans will finally receive the care and benefits they deserve and have earned. This bill ensures the VA will administer those benefits in a responsible, fair way.

This new version of the PACT Act includes important reforms to build on the VA's existing framework for toxic-exposed veterans, and it ensures that the VA has the flexibility to respond and adapt to new scientific evidence on toxic substances.

Importantly, it also ensures that veterans who are most in need-- those who are terminally ill, homeless, elderly, or experiencing hardship--receive their benefits immediately so they do not have to wait any longer for our government to act.

Madam Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support the PACT Act. This bill is not perfect by any means, but we should not allow perfect to be the enemy of the good. Make no mistake, this is a good bill for our Nation's veterans. I am proud to support this bill and I am proud to stand with the men and women of our Armed Forces.

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