Rubio Applauds Action on Burn Pits Ahead of Pact Act Passage

Press Release

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) released a statement ahead of the Senate's passage of the Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2021 (H.R. 3967).

"When young men and women make the choice to dedicate their lives to serving our nation, they rightly expect their country will take care of them when they return home," Rubio said. "For far too long, our government has failed to deliver on this promise. But today, the Senate will finally pass legislation to provide many veterans the care they desperately need and selflessly earned. It took far too long, but we never gave up on our veterans because they have never given up on our country. I hope the House will quickly pass this bill so President Biden can finally sign it into law."

The core of the PACT Act includes key provisions from Rubio's Presumptive Benefits for War Fighters Exposed to Burn Pits and Other Toxins Act (S. 952), which he introduced with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) last year. Specifically, the bill creates a presumption of service connection for more than 20 categories of diseases and streamlines the process for veterans to obtain benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

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