Biden signs 9 bills related to US military veterans

President Joe Biden spoke about the debt to U.S. military veterans on Tuesday at The White House. (Copyright 2022 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.)

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden mentioned his son Beau’s sacrifice during a ceremony to sign nine bills related to U.S. military veterans on Tuesday at The White House.

Biden said one of the bills — the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022 — will make sure the veterans affected by the burn pits where military waste was incinerated in Iraq receive the health care they need.

Recommended Videos



Beau Biden, who was exposed to the pits, died of brain cancer at 46 in 2015. The major of a Delaware Army National Guard unit deployed to Iraq in 2008.

Biden also praised his Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Denis McDonough, for his efforts to fulfill the “sacred obligation” of caring for veterans.

Before the ceremony, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said it has taken decades to understand the dangerous effects of harmful environmental exposures. Unable to make the connection, veterans couldn’t access benefits.

“Veterans and advocates across the country have spoken out about the importance of this legislation, which represents one of the most significant and substantive expansions of benefits and services in the Department of Veterans Affairs history,” Jean-Pierre said.

Related stories

Watch on Facebook Live


About the Authors:

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.

Ben Kennedy is an Emmy Award-winning Washington Bureau Chief for Local 10 News.