One year after the PACT Act became law, President Joe Biden celebrated its anniversary during a visit to Salt Lake City. Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox introduced the president before he spoke at the George E. Wahlen Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
The law is seen as one of the largest expansions of veterans’ health care benefits in decades.
“We only have one truly sacred obligation,” Biden said. “And that's to equip those we send into harm's way and care for them and their families when they come home and when they don't. One year ago today, we met that sacred obligation when I signed, after fighting so damn hard for the PACT Act, to sign it into law.”
The law particularly focuses on veterans who were exposed to so-called toxic burn pits where the military would collect and burn waste overseas during the global war on terrorism following the Sept. 11 attacks.
According to the VA, 4,637 Utah veterans have filed claims under the PACT Act. Due to the law, a new outpatient clinic is also expected to open in Salt Lake City.
“We're determined to address this problem come hell or high water and compensate these veterans and their families who have suffered the consequences of this tragedy,” said Biden.
This issue is one close to the president’s heart. Biden has speculated before that the fatal brain cancer of his late son Beau was caused by his exposure to burn pits while serving in Iraq.
“He went as the fittest guy in his unit and came home. He came home but died of Glioblastoma,” he said. “It's personal for my family, but it's also personal for so many of you.”
Utah’s entire congressional delegation — all Republicans — voted ‘no’ before the president signed it into law a year ago.
In explaining their votes at the time, Sen. Mike Lee said an amendment was needed in order to prevent the misuse of taxpayer money, while Sen. Mitt Romney said the $667 billion price tag was too high.
“[The bill] would add hundreds of billions of dollars to the national debt and would represent a dramatic expansion of qualifying conditions that aren’t necessarily service-connected disabilities,” Romney said one year ago. “We have a collective responsibility to the veterans who have served our country, and I would support legislation that better targets disability eligibility requirements based on scientific evidence and research.”
Despite the partisan split on Utah’s part in passing the law, the PACT Act still cleared both chambers of Congress with large bipartisan support.
Gov. Cox joined in the celebration and saw an opening for the kind of bipartisan cooperation and civility he’s trying to engender through his chairmanship of the National Governors Association.
“This isn't just a budget item. These aren't just numbers,” he told reporters after the president’s speech. “These are real people and real people that we know that have served our country … and a great opportunity for us to find a way to come together.”
After greeting the president when Air Force One landed the day before, Cox said the two had “productive” discussions around several issues, including his opposition to the designation of a new national monument in Arizona.
“We can disagree in the right ways, in the right places,” Cox said. “And then, you know, we welcome each other and we try to find common ground and work together.”
There are a projected 128,992 veterans in Utah and 57,396 of them are currently enrolled in VA care, according to the department.
Erica Smith, a helicopter crew chief and member of the Utah National Guard, shared her story of accessing PACT Act benefits following an unexpected cancer diagnosis after serving overseas.
“The PACT Act reduced my paperwork burden and it covered my illness,” she said. “By the time I had my cancer removed in October of 2022, I had already begun receiving increased benefits. Benefits that help me buy my first house.”
The president’s visit comes one day after the FBI fatally shot a Provo man while serving a search and arrest warrant. Seventy-five-year-old Craig Deleeuw Robertson was suspected of threatening the president’s life.
According to court documents, Robertson allegedly posted to social media on or around Aug. 7 after hearing Biden was scheduled to visit. He said he would dig out a camouflage suit and “clean the dust off” a sniper rifle.
In a statement, the FBI’s Salt Lake City field office said the bureau is reviewing the shooting.
The president did not address the shooting in his remarks.
Biden will depart Utah after attending a same-day campaign fundraiser in Park City.
