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US President Joe Biden has advocated for health benefits for veterans, especially for those who have been exposed to toxic chemicals from burn pits. Biden traveled to Fort Worth, Texas, this week to make another call for better healthcare benefits for veterans.
The US leader made another call for Congress to pass legislation that would provide better health and medical care for veterans who have served in military conflicts and have returned with severe illnesses as a result of the burn pits.
This follows Biden’s previous call during his State of the Union for lawmakers and the Veterans Affairs Department to provide treatment for veterans who suffer from a range of serious respiratory conditions and cancers from exposure to burn pits. Burn pits were a common practice during the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts, similar to the “Agent Orange” illness that US veterans who served in the Vietnam war suffered.
“When our troops came home, the fittest among them – the greatest fighting force in the history of the world – too many of them were not the same; headaches, dizziness, numbness, cancer,” said Biden during his remarks at the VA medical clinic in Fort Worth.
“And we don’t know yet enough about the connection between burn pits and each of these diseases some of our veterans are now facing,” Biden continued, saying that the VA should “favor caring for our veterans” as more information continues to emerge about the effects of the burn pits on the soldiers.
In other related news, Biden has signed an executive order on government oversight when it comes to cryptocurrency, according to the Associated Press. The order would have the Federal Reserve look into whether the Central Bank could make its own digital currency. The order would also direct the Treasury and other federal agencies to look into the impact cryptocurrency has on financial stability and national security.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the move would bring “a fairer, more inclusive, and more efficient financial system.”
The Biden administration sees the popularity of cryptocurrency as an opportunity to look at the risks and benefits of having digital assets, according to a senior administration official.
