Name: Biden signs PACT Act, benefiting Fort Bragg families exposed to toxic chemicals
Uploaded: 2022-08-10T10:01:29-0400
Duration: 1425858
Description: President Joe Biden signs the PACT Act, boosting health care for veterans impacted by toxic burn pits during their military service. The legislation could benefit Fort Bragg veterans and families exposed to toxic chemicals between 1953 and 1987.

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President Joe Biden signs the PACT Act, boosting health care for veterans impacted by toxic burn pits during their military service. The legislation could benefit Fort Bragg veterans and families exposed to toxic chemicals between 1953 and 1987.

of course President, this is a monumental moment. It's our job as a nation to provide toxic exposed veterans and their survivors with the care and benefits they deserve. But for too long that did not happen for too long. Too many veterans who got sick while fighting for a country had to fight for their care here at home. But from the day he took office, President, President biden has made it clear that those days are over. He became the first president to proactively deliver toxic exposure benefits and care for the veterans who fought for our wars for the past 30 years, establishing Presumptions of service, connection for asthma, sinusitis, rhinitis and nine rare respiratory cancers. And now, by signing the pact act into law, President Biden will empower via to deliver the care that millions of toxic exposed veterans need and now benefits that they and their loved ones deserve. And V A stands ready to implement packed. Now veterans can visit v A dot gov slash pact to learn more about how this law will help them and their families and we encourage anyone who might be eligible for pact act benefits to apply right away because we will stop at nothing to make sure every veteran, every family member and every survivor gets everything they've earned and they deserve. Now there are so many people to thank for making this day possible, including of course, the President has made this the top priority in his unity agenda and our leaders in Congress who came together to get this done and of course the veterans who have advocated for this legislation for years and their family members and survivors who have served and sacrificed right alongside the veterans. They love in fact, it's my great honor to introduce two of these family members as our next speakers, Danielle and Brielle Robinson. As so many of you know, Danielle and Brielle is surviving wife and daughter of Sergeant first class Heath Robinson, the hero for whom the pact act is named and they're joined today by Danielle's mother and grandmother. Susan sire Danielle and Brielle are not only the survivors of an american hero. Now they are very much heroes themselves for holding our country and via accountable for advocating for this legislation, knowing full well that it can't bring back what they've lost and for making this day possible. So other families won't have to suffer the loss that they have suffered. Danielle Brielle, thank you for everything over to you. Mhm. As a military spouse, when your loved one returns home safely from a deployment, you count your blessings. You're filled with gratitude. Fear turns to relief as you begin living as a family again, But 10 years post deployment from Iraq, my husband Heath began the biggest battle of his life, a terminal stage four lung cancer diagnosis due to toxic exposure from a burn pit in Baghdad, a word that became the biggest nightmare of our lives. We quickly learned about warriors who battled their own burn pin burn pit illnesses before Heath and the warriors who were still fighting for their lives alongside him today, I want to remember heath for the man, He was an immediate friend to everyone who crossed his path, the person who would instantly drop what he was doing to help a friend or a stranger on the street. The guy in the room who had a special glow and warmth to him, A soldier as strong as an ox, physically and mentally, the ultimate cuddler and protector to our sweet little girl, Brielle and a leader with a strong warrior ethos to all those who served under him. I'd like to thank every member of congress who supported and voted for the pact act all the veterans organizations who helped raise our voices on capitol hill and all the advocates like john feel and john Stewart for your support. We could not have done this without you. All ours is just one story. So many military families have had to fight this terrible emotional battle. So many veterans are still battling burn pit illnesses today too many have succumbed to those illnesses as well and I'm honored to be with the father of another military family that understands the ultimate sacrifice like we do our commander in chief President joe biden. Please please have a seat Danielle thank you Before I begin today. I want to say a word about the news that came out today relative to the economy actually, I just want to say a number zero Today. We received news that our economy had 0% inflation in the month of July 0% here's what that means. While the price of some things go up went up last month, the price of other things went down by the same amount. The result zero inflation last month but people were still hurting but zero inflation last month, economists look at a measure of inflation that ignores food and energy prices and they call it core inflation, that's about the lowest amount in several years. Several months. When you couple that with last week's booming jobs report of 528,000 jobs created last month and 3.5% unemployment and underscores the kind of economy we've been building. We're seeing a stronger labor market where jobs are booming and americans are working and we're seeing some signs that inflation may beginning to moderate. That's what happens when you build an economy from the bottom up in the middle out, the wealthy do very well and everyone has a chance. It gives everyone a chance to make progress. Now, I want to be clear with the global challenges we face from the war in europe to disruption of supply chains and pandemic shutdowns in Asia. We we could face additional headwinds in the months ahead. Our work is far from over. But two things should be clear. First, the economic plan is working and second is building an economy that will reward work, wages are up this month, provide opportunity to help the middle class and still have work to do, but we're on track. The second point I want to make is we need to pass the inflation reduction act right away. That's the most consequential thing that congress can do to keep our progress from on inflation from uh, from getting better from getting worse, keep it moving in the right direction And we'll bring down the cost of prescription drugs, health insurance premiums and energy cost. That's gonna make big corporations just pay their fair share, nothing more than their fair share. It's gonna reduce the deficit without raising a penny in taxes on people making under $400,000 a year. But it's far from done in our effort to bring inflation down. But we're moving in the right direction. So some good economic news today and some work ahead now. The reason we're here and the most important reason that we've assembled in this room in a long time Danielle when you were here for the state of the union. I had hoped you'd be back to sign this for the spill signing. It turns out that's working. And mom, I remember how strongly supportive you were of this from the very beginning all the way back when I met you at a book signing a long time ago and I'm just in all of your family's courage. I really mean that, you know, through the pain you found purpose to demand that we do better for as a nation. And today we are real. You know, I know you miss your daddy, but he's with you all the time. He's inside you. He's gonna whisper in your ear lots of times when you have hard decisions to make, you're gonna wonder what daddy wants to do and he's gonna be there. He's gonna be there for you. You see the little guy you're sitting right next to, that's my grandson. His daddy lost to the same burn pits and he knows what you're going through. But guess what? You're gonna do this, You're gonna be really, really strong. And it's hard taking care of mommy and her grandma. But you got to do it. Okay. All right. And to the veterans, their families here today and all around the country, uh, we can never fully thank you for your service and your sacrifice. And that's not hyperbole. That's a literal fact. Less than 1% of you. Less than 1% of you risk everything to defend, 99% of the population. 1%, We owe you. You're the backbone to the steel. You're the you're the very fiber that makes this country what it is. And that's not hyperbole. It's a fact. As a nation, we have many obligations. I've been saying this for a long, long time. We have many obligations only one truly sacred obligation to equip those we send into harm's way and to care for them and their families when they come home. That's a set. We have a lot of obligations, but that's a truly sacred obligation we have today. Today we're one step closer to filling that sacred obligation with the bill. I'm about to sign into law. This is the most significant law our nation has ever passed to help millions of veterans who are exposed to toxic substances during their military services. You know, Secretary McDonough can tell you I was going to get this done, Come hell or high water. This was something the first thing. I mean, when I say a lot of staff knows that's true. As part of my agenda that I announced in the State of the Union address, I announced four things we can, you know, that all americans can agree on. One was beating the opiate up beating the opioid epidemic to was tackling the mental health crisis we face as a nation as a consequence of the pandemic three was ending cancer as we know it, which we're gonna do and come hell or high water again. And three supporting our veterans, big issues that unite us. We're always being told that democrats and republicans can't work together. When I ran, I said, one of the reasons I was running, one of the three reasons to unite the country and I was roundly criticized for being naive. That was the old days. I used to be able to do that. Well, guess what? I don't believe it. We never have failed to. There are a lot of issues we can disagree on. But their issues we can work together on. This is one of those issues. So many of you here today remind us that we have fought for this for so many years. Veterans, surviving families, surviving family members, advocates like Rosie tourism, john Stewart and john I want to thank you again. I wanted to come up and hang out on the capitol steps and the Secret Service said I'd be paying the neck wouldn't let me do it. So at least we did a little video on there. But uh, but what you've done, john matters and you know, it does, you should know. It really, really matters. You refuse to let anybody forget, refuse to let them forget. And we owe you big man. We owe you big all the rest of you. You never gave up the fight. You never quit. You didn't stop. No matter what you were told. I didn't think about it. Think about how distant this looked five years ago, seven years ago. I also want to thank senators. Tester and jerry more gun. By the way. If you're in a foxhole, you want someone with you. You want tester in that hole with you. You want, you want, you want, where are you? John john here Oh, the only problem is john may try to bring his combine in that foxhole with also john bozeman, Kristen kristen Gillibrand and Dick Blumenthal representatives, uh, chicano and, and, and, and, and boast her boss and, uh, and all the other members of Congress who supported this bill, many of whom are here today. I'd like you all to stand. All the members of Congress. Please stand. You know, we learned a horrible lesson in Vietnam, which many of you fought after Vietnam. How harmful effects to exposure of agent Orange took years to manifest itself in the restaurants, Leaving too many veterans unable to access to care they need and deserve. That's why back in 1991, I along with others co sponsored the Agent Orange Act supporting veterans exposed to toxic substances in Vietnam that laid the groundwork for how the V. A addresses environmental exposure and the bill that I'm about to sign. You know, veterans of the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan not only face dangers in battle, they were breathing toxic smoke from burn pits because I was vice president and chairman of Foreign relationship Before that, I was in and out of Iraq over 20 times and fort boston all those, all those places and you could and you could actually see some of it in the air burn pits the size of football fields that incinerated waste of war such as tires, poisonous chemicals jet fuel and so much more I won't even mention and a lot of the hooch is a lot of places where our soldiers were sleeping were literally quarter mile half mile away from it and where they ate their, their, their their chow. I mean it was, it was there all the time toxic smoke thick with poison spreading through the air and into the lungs of our troops when they came home. Many of the fittest and best warriors that we sent to war were not the same headaches, numbness, dizziness, cancer. My son Beau was one of them both. Son Hunter is here today, as I mentioned earlier and his father in law and a good friend of mine going all way back to high school. Uh, Ronnie Oliver along with general frank traveler who was the commander of the National Guard when bo was there. And I want to thank them for being here as well to us and to many of you in the room, if not all of you. It's personal. Personal for so many people like Daniel and Brielle sergeant, first class heath Robinson, just 39 years old, 39 years old And he, they held his hand for the last time at age 39. The pact act is the least we can do for the countless men and women, many of whom may be in this room for all I know who suffered toxic exposure while serving their country. The law expands access to health care and disability benefits for veterans harmed by toxic exposure. It empowers the Department of Veterans Affairs to move quickly to determine service members, illness and related military service to see if they qualify and for families of veterans who died from toxic exposure means a monthly stipend of $2,000 a month for surviving spouse with two Children. It means access to life insurance, home loan insurance, tuition benefits and help with health care. It means new facilities, improved care, more research and increased hiring and retention of health care workers treating veterans. This new law matters. It matters a lot. It matters a great deal because these conditions have already taken such a toll on so many veterans and their families. I've directed the Department of Veterans Affairs to treat all 23 presumptive conditions as in this law as applicable. The moment I signed this bill, I'm urging the veterans of those decades of war to promptly file for your claims. The V A will move as quickly as possible to resolve your claim and get you the benefits and the care you've earned. And now I want every member, every service member, every veteran, every family member. To know how to access the law. Just go to v A dot gov slash pack v a dot gov slash p a c T file their claim and apply for your V A healthcare now or go to your local v a hospital or reach out to the veterans service organizations, many of whom made this happen as well from disabled veterans americans, disabled american veterans to the american legion to veterans of Foreign War. And if you need additional assistance, you need additional assistance. Just call call. And this law becomes on top of my administration's efforts to pioneer ways to link toxic exposure to diseases and help more veterans get the care they need. We're building a more comprehensive database for the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs to track and assess exposures, expand the eligibility for veterans suffering from the three respiratory conditions and nine rare respiratory cancers. Earlier this summer, I signed nine veterans bills in the law that will do everything providing mammograms and screenings for veterans who served near burn pits to compensating veterans who developed cancer and medical conditions from our World War Two nuclear program. We're not stopping just here. Secretary Mcdonald, the Department of Veterans Affairs are part of my cancer. Moonshot initiative to end cancer as we know it. And today I'm proud to name dr Monica get it right doc brutality. But bet on Yoli. I better get it right because I married Dominic cooper's daughter. So I got a problem. Okay, but you're she's a leading cancer surgeon, surgeon from a family of generations of veterans and is my new director of the national cancer is to please stand doc They're all working as one team. We may be in separate departments. But as one team and perhaps one of the most important things we're doing is working to bring down the rate of suicide among service members and veterans. An average of 17 veterans die by suicide every single day, 17. It's an absolute tragedy and demands not only a whole of government approach, but a whole of country working together. So let me close with this as commander in chief. I've always had your back. I promise you. That includes finally delivering justice is Zawahiri al Qaeda's leader in bin Laden's deputy during 9 11, and is included includes includes always fighting for the care and benefits you've more than earned and more than deserved. This law. This law is long overdue. But we finally got it done together together and I don't want to hear the press tell me democrats, republicans can't work together. We got it done and we got it done together. So God bless you all. You are the backbone, the very spine of this country. And may God protect our troops. And I'm gonna walk over and sign that legislation today where you're walking. That's okay. All right, Yeah, Okay, Ready? Right now. Okay, wait

Biden signs PACT Act, benefiting Fort Bragg families exposed to toxic chemicals

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Good evening. I'm Gayle Hurd. Welcome to tonight's drawings for Wednesday, April 24th, 2024. Well, let's get started tonight with our Carolina pick three. Our first winning number is a seven. Our second number is six and the third number tonight is a nine and our pick three. Fireball number is six. Joining me for tonight's show is our auditor from mcconnell and Jones L LP. Now let's move to the Carolina pick four. Good luck. Everyone who's that first winning pick four number, it's zero. Our second number is a nine. Third number tonight is three and our fourth number is one in our pick for fireball number. There it is. It's three. Again, we're turning now to the Carolina cash five and no one was the top prize tonight. Tomorrow's top prize is estimated at $620,000. Good luck. Everyone here's their first win in cash five number. It's a 29. Our second number, it's 37 3rd number tonight. It's 34. Our fourth number is lucky 13 and the final number in our cash five this evening is 12. The North Carolina Education lottery has contributed over $10 billion to education. Get your winning numbers right here every night on your exclusive station for the North Carolina Education lottery. Thanks for playing. Have a great night.

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Brian Shrader flies over the site of a plane crash at Raleigh-Durham International Airport approximately three hours after the accident.

Seen some activity just in the past 10 minutes or so. I want to take you outside Sky five right now for a live look at the scene. We saw a van being escorted to the runway there and someone got out and now there appears to be a really careful inspection of the debris going on. So we're working to confirm if that may be the NTSB investigation team arriving at the scene. Let's zoom out and give you some about where this is. There are two main runways at RDU International and this is in the grassy field next to the runway that mostly serves terminal one on the east side of the airport, that runway remains closed while this investigation continues at the top of your screen. That is the other main runway that serves terminal two, mostly that runway is open. So we have two things going on here that could affect your flights for the rest of the day and maybe even into tomorrow, the airport takeoff and landing capacity is roughly reduced by half because they are only working with one runway. And if you have a flight coming out of terminal one, maybe Southwest, you're going to have to take that crossover all the way out to that other runway. It's going to add a lot of extra time.

Sky 5 flies over RDU plane crash 3 hours later 

A UNC Health physician and pilot were taken to the hospital Wednesday after a small plane crashed at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU).


Sky 5 flies over plane crash at RDU

RDU Airport Authority gives an update on a plane crash that sent a physician and pilot to the hospital. The crash occurred Wednesday morning on a flight that took off from Wilmington.

<p>Landguth first, I want to extend my thoughts to those affected by this morning's aircraft accident and thank our first responders for their quick action to respond. The airport authority and its mutual aid partners responded to an aircraft accident at RDU involving a general aviation aircraft. The accident occurred at approximately 10:10 a.m. in the grass next to runway five, right 23 left. The flight was arriving from Wilmington, North Carolina. The A the aircraft is owned by medical Air Inc and operated by UN C air operations. The aircraft had two people on board, one pilot and one passenger. Both were transported to area hospitals. The federal A Bush administration issued a ground stop that was lifted at approximately 1130 this morning. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have both been notified. The National Transportation Safety Board is en route and expected to arrive within the next hour at which time we will conduct an accident investigation. Rdu's runway five left 23 right reopened to departing and arriving aircraft around 11:30 a.m. this morning. Are you experiencing approximately 70 delays and several arriving flights were diverted to other airports? Until ground stock was lifted, travelers should contact their airline for the latest updates regarding the flight status. And of course questions about the identity and condition of the pilot and passenger should be directed to UN C health. And at this time I'll try to answer any questions. You may have, uh, the one, any other accidents in, in the past. I'm not familiar with any other accidents have occurred with that operation. I don't know, uh, that's the role of the National Transportation Safety Board. They'll actually come in and do the investigation. Uh, and at some point in the future, they write up a report and determine what the cause of the accident was. You know, that there was no notification to the airport authority or to the FAA uh about any type of emergency on board. Do we have a guy? We don't, all we know that we've got them out of the airplane and we've got them transported to local hospitals. We know situations like this and delays have a ripple effect on, you know, flights. Do you have any idea what type of impact we'll see here in our view and for not sure, but what we're going to encourage everybody to do is reach out to your airlines. We'll be able to give you real time information about the impact of your particular flight. Ok. I believe some of them went to Greensboro and I think a couple went to Charlotte as well. What, what to be impacted due to the NTSD. Say that one more time at this point in time, what we call the west side of our airport is now open the investigation they'll conduct will all be on the east side. So at this point, we are anticipating normal operations returning to normal operations from this point forward. I don't think that anything that they're doing regarding the investigation or where they would have to investigate would have any impact to the west side of the airport. No, the aircraft is still on the airfield itself. It's on the east side of the field. So terminal one that runways the east side of the field, that's where the debris field actually sits, the west side of the field is open and operational and safe to operate. Not that I'm aware of in operations for you throughout this event today. What was your main concern concerning the passengers that were in the internals? Right. I think our primary focus when, when that accident occurred were the two people sitting in that aircraft? Our primary mission is to make sure we can get to them and try to rescue them and try to make sure that we can get them in a safe condition as fast as we possibly can. Uh secondarily is trying to figure out then how we recover and get our operations back up and running. Mhm. How does that affect? What goes on term? Yeah, so great. Question. So the team has figured out a way to get all the aircraft they're gonna operate at terminal one. Your Southwest develops. Uh We've got a crossover taxi way that we can actually get them through our general aviation aircraft. We've got a crossover taxiway, we can get them to. But the rest of the uh accident scene is actually kind of isolated and closed and locked off. Yeah, you're terminal one at this point in time. Once they can get back on their schedule, it's going to be a normal operations. All right. Thank you guys. All right. Thank you. Grab your phone, right.</p>

Biden signs PACT Act, benefiting Fort Bragg families exposed to toxic chemicals

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