'No more forgotten veterans': U.S. Senate to discuss bill to help those affected burn pits

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio announced on Thursday a bipartisan legislation seeking to provide benefits to veterans who served in open-pit burning and suffer from illnesses.

"After years of bipartisan leadership, Rubio and @SenGillibrand's [Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand] legislation to help veterans affected by pit burns will pass in the U.S. Senate," reported the Florida Republican senator's official press account.

Tras años de liderazgo bipartidista, la legislación de Rubio y @SenGillibrand para ayudar a los veteranos de guerra afectados por la quema de pozos pasará en el senado de EE.UU. https://t.co/4FJ49b9Q41

— Senator Rubio Press (@SenRubioPress) June 16, 2022

Rubio and Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said that there are many veterans suffering from illnesses—such as chronic bronchitis and brain cancer— after being exposed to toxic combustion pits during the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other countries.

"Men and women who served in the military and were forced to breathe toxic fumes and vapors from combustion pits after setting fire to electronic devices—even tires—and human waste with jet fuel. Sadly, many are now suffering from illnesses associated with these burns," the senators explained in a text published in October 2021 by Diario Las Américas.

Sens. Rubio and Gillibrand claimed that "the federal bureaucracy downplayed, acted slowly, or completely ignored" the issue. The bipartisan legislation aims to provide veterans who served in open burning pits with free medical treatment.

"Our war veterans had a job to do, and they did it without a second thought. They did it with courage, honor, and distinction, and with the understanding that they would be taken care of when they returned home," the senators noted. "No more studies or red tape. No more forgotten veterans," they concluded. 

The House of Representatives approved the measure in March. If it advances in the Senate, the Congressional Budget Office estimates it would increase spending by more than $300 billion over the next decade.

Supporters of the bill claim that it would give congressional recognition to veterans who were exposed to toxic substances and also validate that the medical costs of their illness are too expensive.

Opponents of the legislation warn that it would grant health and disability benefits to many veterans whose conditions may have nothing to do with their military service, Telemundo 44 reported.

"This is the time to do the right thing by our veterans. This is not a partisan issue. This is not a budget issue. This is a moral issue," Marco Rubio added.