President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed into law a slew of bills aimed at honoring veterans and improving their care, telling those gathered in the State Dining Room the government was fulfilling its “sacred obligation” to protect those who gave up so much in defense of the country. 

What You Need To Know

  • President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed into law a series of nine bills aimed at honoring veterans and improving their care

  • The Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas SERVICE Act expands mammogram eligibility for veterans who may not have been exposed to toxic burn pits

  • Another bill will extend a two-year program, set to expire next month, to compensate World War II veterans exposed to radiation

  • A separate bill will name a new out-patient clinic set to be opened in Oahu, Hawaii as the ​​Daniel Kahikina Akaka VA Clinic

“You've heard me say it many times before – our nation has many obligations, but it only has one truly sacred obligation,” Biden said. “That's to prepare and equip those we send into harm's way and to care for them and their families when they come home. It's a sacred obligation. Because veterans are the backbone, the spine, of who we are as a country.” 

The nine bills signed by the president passed Congress with overwhelmingly bipartisan support. Biden was flanked by senators from both parties as he signed the legislation into law, including Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and moderate Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia. 

Some of the legislation focuses on improving veterans’ access to healthcare. The Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas SERVICE Act expands mammogram eligibility for veterans who may not have been exposed to toxic burn pits, which will allow more individuals to receive the potentially life-saving screening. A separate bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to overhaul its breast cancer screening and treatment services entirely.

Yet another bill will extend a two-year program, set to expire next month, that compensates veterans who developed “cancer and medical conditions from the nation's World War II-era nuclear programs,” Biden said Tuesday. 

The Bidens have a long, personal connection to the military. Dr. Biden’s father, Donald Jacobs, served in the Navy during World War II; President Joe Biden's son, Beau Biden, who Jill also raised, served in both the United States Army and the Delaware Army National Guard before his death from brain cancer in 2015. 

Beyond healthcare, Biden signed a number of highly symbolic or commemorative bills. One was to name a new out-patient clinic set to be opened in Oahu, Hawaii as the ​​Daniel Kahikina Akaka VA Clinic. Akaka, whom Biden on Tuesday called a “great friend” and “one of the finest people I’ve ever served with,” was in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during World War II. 

He later went to Congress as a member of the House of Representatives from 1977 to 1991 and was the first Native Hawaiian to serve as Senator beginning in 1991. Akaka passed away in 2018.

Another bill will award a Congressional Gold Medal to all of the Army Rangers who served in World War II, who Biden said “played a critical role in the D-Day invasion of Normandy.” 

Monday marked the 78th anniversary of D-Day, when nearly 160,000 troops from Britain, the U.S., Canada and other nations landed on the beaches of France to liberate the region from the clutches of Nazi Germany. 

“On behalf of our nation, we're gonna thank them for their heroism and their service,” the president said.

Before signing the series of bills, Biden took a moment to address veterans and their family members directly. 

“We can never fully repay the debt to all of you. But I promise that my administration will always have your back,” he said, adding: “This is something we Bidens take personally. Every veteran and family member of a veteran who serves has made our lives, our liberty and our very nation possible. We owe you, we owe you and we thank you.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.