According to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), approximately 3.5 million military service personnel were exposed to the toxic fumes of burn pits — sites where garbage such as human and medical waste, construction materials, munitions, plastics, jet fuel and paint were incinerated. A survey conducted by IAVA found that 89% of its members reported symptoms related to a host of respiratory diseases and cancers that could be related to burn pit emissions.

In early March, Congress passed the Honoring our PACT Act, which will add nine respiratory cancers to its list of service-connected disabilities and expand benefits eligibility for affected veterans.

Speaking of this legislation, National Commander of the VFW Matthew “Fritz” Mihelcic stated: “There is a cost of war, but that also includes the cost of peace. Our service members answered the call of their country and it is America’s responsibility to care for them, even after the guns fall silent … How can any right thinking American not vote for this PACT Act?”

No doubt Mihelcic was speaking of the 174 not-right thinking members of the House of Representatives who voted against this bill — all Republicans, including Elise Stefanik. A major objection to the bill was the nearly $300 billion price tag over the next 10 years. For these Republicans the cost of treating and saving the lives of burn pit-sickened military personnel is too high.

The $300 billion estimated cost is 20% of the $1.5 trillion 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) passed almost exclusively by Republicans. While all taxpayers had their tax burdens reduced, the primary beneficiaries were the wealthiest Americans as the corporate tax rate was slashed from 35 to 21%.

According to the non-partisan Tax Policy Center, the most affluent fifth of the population will receive 70% of all tax bill benefits (the top 1% alone accounts for 34% of all benefits, over $500 billion) while the lowest fifth will receive 1% of benefits, the second lowest fifth 4%. These latter two figures are important as a significant number of military personnel come from the two lowest economic strata. How many young men and women from the wealthiest American families have burn pit related health problems?

Speaking of the PACT Act, Stefanik states the bill “would increase wait times for our veterans. Specifically, it would increase VA’s backlog to an unprecedented 1.53 million claims in less than two years.” The “logic” of this position is that we can’t treat any more sick veterans because we already have a lot of veterans.

The obvious solution is to build and staff more VA facilities to treat burn pit victims. Unfortunately the funds are not available for such an endeavor in large measure as a consequence of the 2017 fat-cat loaded TCJA.

As reported in the Enterprise on March 10, Stefanik stated she voted against the PACT Act because it included “‘left-leaning’ elements that are not in similar legislation that she co-sponsored” and passed in the Senate. As is often the case with Stefanik, she did not identify the “left leaning” elements, leaving us to wonder what they could be. I sent Stefanik’s Washington D.C. office an email (acknowledged as received) asking that she quote sections of the PACT Act that contain the left-leaning provisions. No response.

On Jan. 20, Stefanik voted against the Ensuring Veterans’ Smooth Transition (EVEST) Act. All 163 no votes were Republicans. This act requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to automatically enroll veterans for VA health care into the system upon receiving information from the Department of Defense of their eligibility upon leaving active duty.

The EVEST Act shifts navigating bureaucratic red tape from veterans to the federal agency charged with providing their care. This is no minor detail as the VA reports veterans are most vulnerable to suicide “in the first three months following separation from military service.” This “seamless transition” to VA health care — and mental health care via the EVEST Act — is likely to save the lives of many severely depressed and suicidal veterans.

Medically discharged from the service after a suicide attempt following a rape the Air Force refused to prosecute, a veteran stated that VA enrollment was the last thing on her mind. Still suicidal, she said she was lucky her family encouraged her to go to the VA for the treatment that helped her survive the brutal sexual assault.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the EVEST Act would affect about 58,000 veterans annually who might otherwise not enroll in VA health care. This legislation was supported by Paralyzed Veterans of America, Disabled American Veterans, the Nurses Organization of Veterans Affairs, the Veterans Health Policy Institute and the American Psychological Association.

Campaigning for the fall election is only months away, and you can be sure Elise Stefanik will criss-cross New York’s 21st Congressional District touting her unyielding support for the military and veterans. Her “thank you for your service” cries will be the loudest at Fort Drum where soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division served in Iraq and Afghanistan. (Deployed more times than any other Army unit.)

How many military personnel suffering from burn pit related maladies would have been denied VA health-care if Stefanik and her Republican colleagues had prevailed? The PACT Act is now pending consideration in the Senate. We can expect the majority of Republican Senators to vote against it.

Some people have no shame.

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George J. Bryjak lives in Bloomingdale and is retired after 24 years of teaching sociology at the University of San Diego. He served in Okinawa and Vietnam with the First Marine Air Wing.

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Sources

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Alfaro, J. (2022) “House passes bill to expand care for veterans exposed to toxins; 174 Republicans vote against it.” March 4, The Washington Post, www.washingtonpost.com

Drucker, J. and A. Rappeport (2017) “The tax bill winners and losers,” The New York Times, www.nytimes.com

Golshan, T. (2017) “4 winners and 4 losers from the Republican tax bill,” Dec. 22, Vox, www.vox.com

Geurnik, J. (2022) “Houses passes chairman Takano’s EVEST Act,” Jan. 20, Mental Health Resources for Veterans, www.veterans.house.gov

Gordon, S. (2021) “Dems fight to make VA health care enrollment easier for new veterans,” Aug. 18, The American Prospect, www.prospect.org

“Help with readjustment and social support needed for veterans transitioning from military service” (accessed 2022) U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, www.mentalhealth.va.gov

“House Approves bill to automatically enroll vets in VA health care” (2022) Jan. 20, Military Times, www.militarytimes.com

“H.R. 4673; EVEST Act” (2022) Jan. 20, Government Track, www.govtrack.us

Narcos, C. (2022) “House passes bill to expand the health benefits for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits,” March 3, The Hill, https://thehill.com

Thompson, M. (2022) “Stefanik introduces legislation named for Queensbury veteran,” March 10, Adirondack Daily Enterprise

Weiner, M. (2022) “10th Mountain, called to Afghanistan and Iraq more than any Army unit, stands down after 20 years,” Olean Times Herald, www.oleantimesherald.com

“VFW-supported toxic exposure bill passes in the House” (2022) March 4, Veterans of Foreign Wars, www.vfw.org

Stefanik, E. (2022) Letter to George J. Bryjak regarding her position on PACT Act, April 1.