WASHINGTON — The Honoring Our PACT Act, landmark legislation designed to help service members exposed to toxins from burn pits passed in the Senate on Thursday. It’s receiving broad support from veterans’ groups across the country. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Senate passed the Honoring Our PACT Act by a vote of 84 to 14

  • Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was one of 14 republicans to vote against the bill

  • The PACT Act now goes back to the House where they expect it to pass

“This was more than a vote for expanded health care and benefits,” said VFW National Commander Matthew “Fritz” Mihelcic in a statement. “This was about honoring our promise to care for those who swore an oath to defend our nation and our way of life.”

“We have been discussing burn pits since I got out of the Army,” said Capt. Katherine Meadows. 

Meadows is a Purple Heart recipient who grew up in Lexington. She served in the Army from 2004 to 2011. She was deployed to Iraq twice. Meadows said both of her deployments were under burn pits. 

“There was no place to take the trash. There was no place to take anything because we had to keep it all on the base. They burned anything they could find because nothing could leave the base,” Meadows recalled. “It was not safe. There were days that it rained ash.” 

Meadows signed on to the burn pit registry when she retired from the Army. She said she wonders if her exposure to toxic substances may compromise her health now. 

“I came down with COVID and the doctors are unsure about whether or not the lung damage that I received caused me to have a worse case of COVID or not,” Meadows explained. “I was in the ICU for two months and in a coma.” 

When President Joe Biden laid out his Unity Agenda during his State of the Union address, helping veterans get more access to care was one of the bipartisan topics he focused on. 

Earlier this week, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), referred to the PACT Act as one of the most important things Congress is working on right now. 

The Senate passed the legislation by a vote of 84 to 14.

Sen. Rand Paul, (R-Ky.), was one of the 14 Republicans who voted against the bill. His team tells Spectrum News 1, “Dr. Paul believes we absolutely must take care of those who were harmed in service to our country,” but he does not think it should be done in a way that further fuels inflation.

This amended Senate bill now goes back to the House, where it is expected to pass. The bill would then go to the president to be signed into law.  

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