Congressman Gonzalez Votes to Honor Congress' Promise to Toxic-Exposed Veterans
Press Release
Yesterday, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) voted to send S. 3373, the Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, or Honoring Our PACT Act, back to the U.S. Senate for final passage. This comprehensive piece of legislation will finally treat toxic exposure as a cost of war by addressing a full range of issues impacting toxic-exposed veterans, including access to earned benefits and healthcare through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
"I am proud to vote for the final iteration of this bill and finally take care of service members who have been exposed to some of the most toxic environments during deployment," said Congressman Gonzalez. "We have a responsibility to address this issue and honor our promises to these brave men and women. The PACT Act that will provide much needed care to over 3.5 million veterans who were exposed to substances detrimental to their health during military service. I urge the Senate to make good on their promise to take care of those who bear the true cost of war and send this bill to the President's desk."
The Honoring Our PACT Act passed the House in March 2022 by a vote of 256-174 and recently passed the Senate 84-14. Although the vote was bipartisan, in June the Committee encountered a technical issue with the amended Senate version of the PACT Act.
The Honoring our PACT Act is a comprehensive legislative package that will increase healthcare coverage for over 3.5 million veterans exposed to toxic substances during their military service. It will create presumptions for 23 respiratory illnesses and cancers, shifting the burden of proof off our veterans. This means that if a veteran served in a particular area at a certain time, they will be presumed to have been exposed to toxic substances and therefore potentially eligible for healthcare and benefits. This bipartisan legislation will also streamline the VA's presumption decision making process, so that Congress does not have to keep intervening, and our veterans don't have to wait decades for help.
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