Rob Portman: “I want to thank my colleague from Delaware via Columbus, OH, for his comments, and I want to talk for a moment about…”

“I want to thank my colleague from Delaware via Columbus, OH, for his comments, and I want to talk for a moment about what we did today in the U.S. Senate. We passed legislation very important to our veterans that has to do with expanding VA veterans' healthcare coverage but specifically addresses the problem of our veterans who have been exposed to burn pits--toxic burn pits that have resulted in terrible illnesses, including cancer and others. The legislation we passed is named the Heath Robinson PACT Act. And people may wonder: Well, who is Heath Robinson? Why is it named after him? Heath Robinson was from Pickerington, OH, which is a small community outside of Columbus, OH. He enlisted in the Ohio National Guard. He became a sergeant first class. He did tours of duty in Kosovo and also in Iraq. He was with the 285th Area Support Medical Company and was a two-time Ohio Army National Guard NCO of the Year in 2012 and 2013--so a very distinguished career in the military. In 2020, he died of cancer. And when you talk to the medical professionals, they say that his exposure to burn pits is what resulted in his cancer developing and in the end of his life way too soon.…”