Kansas, Missouri senators do nothing as veterans exposed to toxins get sick and die

One by one, U.S. military veterans walked to a podium at Kansas City’s VFW headquarters Tuesday, describing the brutal effects of exposure to toxic smoke while in the service.

Headaches. Cancers. Difficulty breathing. Broken families and lost friends. Death.

The vets have endured years of illness — and a government that too often seems indifferent to their suffering. “These veterans who are looking for care are being betrayed,” said William Wisner, who works with Burn Pits 360, an advocacy group for veterans dealing with toxic poisoning. “It’s not right,” he said.

Wisner and his colleagues are correct: For far too long, America has failed its veterans who are sick because of exposure to toxic burn pits and other harmful chemicals.

And it’s appalling that real help for these veterans is now being delayed by Republicans in the U.S. Senate, including four from our region: Sens. Roger Marshall, Jerry Moran, Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley.

All four senators happily salute veterans on holidays. But they should turn that support into action by endorsing the Honoring our PACT bill, which passed the House in March.

The PACT bill would provide a comprehensive set of services to veterans who took part in a “toxic exposure risk activity” during their service. It would also extend benefits to vets who served in a specific place during a specific time when toxic exposure was common.

The bill would provide treatment services and counseling for 3.5 million veterans suspected of exposure to toxic chemicals. It would add a “presumption of service connection” to lung illnesses connected with burn pit exposures and airborne hazards. For some veterans, it would expand eligibility timelines.

The measure would, in short, address real suffering from veterans whose lives are being destroyed because they dared to breathe during their time in uniform.

The bill would cost an estimated $20 billion annually for the next ten years. That’s a rounding error in the federal budget, and cannot be an excuse for inaction.

Of course, Senate Republicans are making those excuses just the same. Tuesday, Moran said “the PACT Act needs work” before a Senate vote. He’s more enthusiastic about a less expensive alternative.

That alternative — the Health Care for Burn Pit Veterans Act — is a “drop in the bucket” compared to the need, said Kristina Keenan of the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ Washington office.

Supporters of the PACT bill think they need 10 Republican votes to break a filibuster and bring the measure to the floor. Senators from Kansas and Missouri should help provide those votes before Memorial Day.

The last speaker at Tuesday’s Kansas City rally was Jon Stewart, an advocate for public safety workers and veterans harmed by toxic exposure. The talk show host wept as he remembered Kate Hendricks (Thomas), an Iraq veteran who died of breast cancer in early April after repeated exposure to toxic burn pits while in the service.

She spent years battling the VA for help. “It’s a moral outrage,” he said. “Delay, deny, hope you die. That’s what this is,” Stewart said.

Stewart has drawn needed attention to this issue, and should be congratulated for his work. But the PACT bill shouldn’t pass because a famous person wants it. It should pass because veterans need and deserve every dollar we can provide to treat illnesses linked to toxic smoke and fumes.

All four senators from Kansas and Missouri should hear these voices, and act. Now.