Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of my amendment to the Honoring our PACT Act, which includes language from my bill, the Burn Pits Registry Enhancement Act. This amendment would allow veterans in the burn pits registry to designate someone to update the registry with their cause of death. I hope that makes common sense. This data is crucial to further identify illnesses that are causing burn pit exposed veterans to die and will help doctors recognize early symptoms. I also rise in support of another amendment I submitted that was part of an en bloc package that passed yesterday. That amendment is from my Reducing Exposure to Burn Pits Act. It would require the DOD to consider safer alternatives to burn pits. This amendment will get us one step closer to ending the exposure to toxic burn pits once and for all. I have fought for years to bring attention to this issue and its devastating toll on our Nation's servicemembers and their families. I have told the story of Jennifer Kepner, an Air Force veteran from Cathedral City in my district. She was an otherwise healthy mother of two who lost her courageous battle with pancreatic cancer likely caused by her exposure to burn pits during her military service. I have told the story of Alejandro Camacho, my constituent from Palm Desert, who developed testicular cancer from the toxic smoke and carcinogens he breathed in every day during his service in Iraq.…”