Press Releases

Today, Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.), the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, released the following statement after the House passed the House Amendment to S. 3373, the SFC Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022, comprehensive legislation to connect toxic-exposed veterans, and their survivors, with the healthcare and benefits they have earned.

“For over 20 years since 9/11, an estimated 3.5 million servicemembers were exposed to burn pits and other dangerous substances in service to our nation. The SFC Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act is for them, and the survivors they left behind,” said Ranking Member Bost. “The PACT Act is not a perfect bill, but it will expand health care and disability benefits to toxic-exposed veterans and equip VA to take better care of them and their loved ones. As a veteran, I am pleased that we were able to pass this bill out of the House today. I hope that the Senate will pass it, and the President will sign it into law, very soon. And, I thank the veterans service organizations and the many Senators and Members of Congress from both parties for the hard work they have put into this effort.”

“However, as a VA Committee leader, I know that getting the PACT Act signed into law is just the first step. I am committed to overseeing the implementation of this legislation and ensuring that it fulfills its promise to our warfighters. But, I remain gravely concerned about the terrible funding mechanism in this bill that unnecessarily increases entitlement spending,” continued Ranking Member Bost. “That has nothing to do with supporting veterans. We can do right by veterans and military families without hurting taxpayers or bankrupting our country’s future, and we should. I understand that some of my colleagues did not support this bill because of the budgetary ploy in it, and I don’t blame them. That is why I will be working in the days and weeks ahead to fix that mechanism.”

For a section-by-section summary of the SFC Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022, click here. Bill text can be found here.