众议院周四批准了一项法案，该法案将为数百万退伍军人提供快速医疗服务健康与烧伤坑有毒物质接触引起的疾病有关的护理和残疾付款。

最后的投票结果是256票对174票。

只有34名共和党人和所有民主党人投票支持该法案。

在美国总统乔·拜登(Joe Biden)周二发表国情咨文(State of the Union)讲话期间，支持因接触烧伤坑的有毒物质而遭受健康问题困扰的退伍军人的努力得到了显著推动——他的支持就在众议院定于周四投票之前。

拜登说:“我呼吁国会:通过一项法律，确保在伊拉克和阿富汗受到有毒物质伤害的退伍军人最终获得他们应得的福利和全面的医疗保健。”他称这是“为所有我们派往战场的人提供装备，并在他们回家后照顾他们和他们的家人的神圣义务”的一部分

拜登哀叹燃烧坑产生的有毒烟雾的危害，这导致了持久的退伍军人的健康问题驻扎在海外的伊拉克，阿富汗和西南亚。

在燃烧坑中露天燃烧垃圾和其他废物是军事行动的常见做法。在焚烧坑焚烧的常见材料包括人类排泄物、油漆、金属罐、食物残渣、未爆炸弹药、润滑油产品、塑料、橡胶、木材，甚至喷气燃料。

暴露在这些有毒化学物质中的现役军人经常受到威胁生命的疾病的困扰。

拜登对议员们说:“他们回家时，许多世界上最健康、训练有素的战士都变了样。”。“头疼。麻木。头晕。癌症会让他们躺在覆盖着国旗的棺材里。”

拜登沉痛地回忆了他已故的儿子博·拜登，他于2015年因脑癌去世。

拜登说:“我们不能确定烧伤坑是不是他脑癌的原因，或者是我们许多士兵的疾病的原因。”“但我承诺尽我们所能找出一切。”

非营利组织美国伊拉克和阿富汗退伍军人协会(Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America)的数据显示，大约82%的911后在伊拉克和阿富汗服役的退伍军人报告称，他们在服役期间暴露于燃烧坑和/或空气中的有毒物质。

大约一半的暴露者认为他们有与暴露相关的症状，另外41%的人不确定他们的症状是否相关。

“我的眼睛烧伤了。美国退伍军人协会健康政策主任凯蒂·帕斯威尔周三在国会山的新闻发布会上说:“当我咳嗽时，我很难深呼吸，这让我感到胸部疼痛，这让我咳嗽。”

“过一会儿风吹来的气味会让我窒息。我开始流鼻血醒来。呼吸困难而痛苦。回家后支气管炎一年。我不认为我的运行时已经恢复。我简直不能再深呼吸了，”她说，描述了她在海外驻扎期间长时间暴露在有毒烧伤坑后所面临的症状。

周三，前退伍军人、倡导者、国会议员和喜剧演员乔恩·斯图尔特在国会大厦加入了支持焚烧坑立法的行列。

斯图尔特和同事倡导者和9/11第一反应者约翰·菲尔长期以来一直在游说国会为退伍军人和第一反应者提供医疗保健，经常在情绪化的证词中挑战立法者，抗议他们认为对国家退伍军人的护理不足。

“昨晚，他们被看到了，”斯图尔特在谈到总统的全国讲话时说。"美国总统目睹了他们的斗争。"

该组织呼吁国会通过该法案，尊重我们的契约法，旨在改善接触有毒物质的退伍军人的医疗保健和福利。

该法案将特别指定23种呼吸系统疾病和癌症可能与军事燃烧坑和空气传播的危险接触有关的毒性接触有关。

目前，退伍军人事务部在个案的基础上决定这些暴露索赔，除了那些因哮喘、鼻炎或鼻窦炎提出的索赔。证明一个人的疾病与烧伤坑暴露有关的负担落在老兵身上，导致医疗保健的延误。

众议院退伍军人事务委员会(House Veterans ' s Affairs Committee)主席、众议员马克·高野(Mark Takano)周三表示，“国会中没有其他有毒物质暴露立法在范围或健全性方面像它一样。”

这位加州民主党人起草了这项在众议院获得两党支持的法案。

“我们的退伍军人毫不犹豫地举起右手，保护和捍卫这个国家。许多人因为这项服务而生病。高野说:“我们与这些人达成了一个协议——恐怕我们还没有履行这个协议。”。

高野说，他的法案将解决影响有毒接触退伍军人的所有问题，获得医疗保健和福利，同时也改革退伍军人事务部的“推定”决策过程，为超过350万名接触过有毒物质的退伍军人提供医疗保健。

白宫周一宣布，退伍军人事务部也在努力修改他们的政策——退伍军人事务部提出了一项规则，将九种新的呼吸系统疾病认定为被认为与退伍军人的兵役有关的疾病，这将有助于快速跟踪他们的支出和医疗保健。

退伍军人事务部长丹尼斯·麦克多诺(Dennis McDonough)上个月在接受美国广播公司(ABC)采访时暗示了拟议中的变化。

麦克多诺承认退伍军人必须经历“繁琐”的过程来证明他们的疾病与接触烧伤坑有关，他告诉美国广播公司新闻部，该部正在努力建立证据，表明更多的疾病与接触烧伤坑有关，他希望该部很快认识到这一点。

参议院退伍军人事务委员会(Senate Veterans Affairs Committee)正在努力解决退伍军人接触有毒物质的问题，这是两党合作三步走方案的一部分。但是包括斯图尔特和菲尔在内的支持者说，参议院的努力范围还不够大。

然而，一些参议员担心众议院版本的法案过于昂贵:众议院法案要求在10年内花费近3000亿美元。

众议院议长南希·佩洛西(Nancy Pelosi)在周四的新闻发布会上指出，共和党人投票反对该法案，因为其价格高昂。

佩洛西对记者说:“这真的让我很惊讶，在这里我很少感到惊讶。”。

“哦真的吗?”她继续说道，将怒火对准了共和党人。

“你刚刚在2017年给美国最富有的人减税，”她说，指的是特朗普政府下生效的共和党税收计划。

“为富人减税。退伍军人的癌症。这就是我们对这场讨论和辩论的看法，”她补充道。

在周三与倡导者的新闻发布会上，佩洛西在斯图尔特和费尔的支持下捍卫了价格标签。

佩洛西说:“别跟我们谈价格。”。“这是我们应该认识到的战争代价……这是值得的。但这将是一个巨大的代价。”

“因为我们关注的是这对我们国家的价值，”她说。

熟悉这一过程的消息人士告诉ABC新闻，众议院和参议院的成员将不得不找出他们的政策分歧，并在未来几个月内将各自的法案提交给会议，以达成最终的妥协。

这一过程可能会使参议院的通过推迟几个月，然后最终送到拜登的办公桌上签字。

斯图尔特和费尔给参议院成员传达了一个严酷的信息。

“一旦完成，毫无疑问，战斗将转移到参议院。如你所知，他们擅长杀死必要的东西。我们不能让它发生，”斯图尔特说。“你不能让这种团结、希望和最终被人看到的感觉消失。我们需要你们所有人的帮助来施加压力，以确保他们的全面需求得到满足。”

费尔警告参议院多数党领袖查克·舒默，他计划努力游说他。

“让舒默知道，我们想要一个符合《光荣条约法》的法案。如果他不这么做，我会让他的生活很痛苦，”菲尔说。

舒默的发言人在给美国广播公司新闻的一份声明中说:“舒默领导人坚信这项法案，并将尽一切努力通过它。”

House approves bill to help veterans exposed to 'burn pits'

The House on Thursday approved a bill that would provide millions of veterans with expeditedhealthcare and disability payments related to illnesses caused by toxic exposure from burn pits.

The final vote was 256-174.

Only thirty-four Republicans voted with all Democrats to support the bill.

The push to support military veterans plagued with health issues caused by toxic exposure to burn pits got a significant boost during President Joe Biden's State of the Union address Tuesday -- his support coming just before the House was set to vote Thursday.

"I'm calling on Congress: pass a law to make sure veterans devastated by toxic exposures in Iraq and Afghanistan finally get the benefits and comprehensive health care they deserve," Biden said, calling it part of "a sacred obligation to equip all those we send to war and care for them and their families when they come home."

Biden lamented the dangers of the toxic smoke from burn pits, which have resulted in enduringhealth issues for military veteransstationed overseas in Iraq, Afghanistan and Southwest Asia.

The open-air combustion of trash and other waste in burn pits is a common practice of military operations. Common materials incinerated in burn pits included human waste, paint, metal cans, food waste, unexploded ordnance, lubricant products, plastics, rubber, wood and even jet fuel.

Active-duty service members who have been exposed to these toxic chemicals are often plagued with life-threatening diseases and illness.

"And they come home, many of the world's fittest and best-trained warriors in the world, never the same," Biden told lawmakers. "Headaches. Numbness. Dizziness. A cancer that would put them in a flag-draped coffin."

Biden poignantly recalled the memory of his late son, Beau Biden, who died from brain cancer in 2015.

"We don't know for sure if a burn pit was the cause of his brain cancer, or the diseases of so many of our troops," Biden said. "But I'm committed to finding out everything we can."

Approximately 82% of post-9/11 veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan reported being exposed to burn pits and/or airborne toxic materials during their service, according to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a nonprofit organization.

About half of those exposed believe they have symptoms associated with the exposure, and another 41 percent are unsure if their symptoms are related.

"My eyes burned. It was hard to take a deep breath when I coughed and it made chest hurt and it made me cough," Katie Purswell, a former veteran and director of health policy at the American Legion, said during a press conference on Capitol Hill Wednesday.

"I choked on the odor from the winds when they would pick up after a while. I started waking up with bloody noses. It was difficult and painful to breathe. After I got home, I had bronchitis for a year. I don't think my runtime has ever recovered. I just can't take a deep breath anymore," she said, describing the symptoms she faced following prolonged exposure to toxic burn pits while stationed overseas.

Purswell was joined by former veterans, advocates, members of Congress, and comedian Jon Stewart at the Capitol Wednesday in support of burn pit legislation.

Stewart and fellow advocate and 9/11 first responder John Feal have long lobbied Congress for veterans and first responder health care, often challenging lawmakers in emotional testimony -- protesting what they believe is inadequate care for the nation's veterans.

"Last night, they were seen," Stewart said of the president's national address. "The president of the United States saw their struggle."

The group is calling on Congress to pass the bill, Honoring Our PACT Act, that aims to improve health care and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances.

The bill would specifically designate 23 respiratory illnesses and cancers as likely linked to toxic exposures related to military burn pits and airborne hazards exposure.

Currently, the Department of Veterans Affairs decides these exposure claims on a case-by-case basis, with the exception of those filed for asthma, rhinitis or sinusitis. The burden of proving one's illness is related to a burn pit exposure falls on the veteran, leading to delays in health care.

"There is no other toxic exposure legislation in Congress like it in scope or soundness," Rep. Mark Takano, chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, said Wednesday.

The California Democrat authored the legislation that has bipartisan support in the House.

"Without hesitation, our veterans raised their right hand to protect and defend this nation. And many are now sick as a result of that service. We made a pact with these individuals -- a pact I'm afraid to say we have not yet honored," Takano said.

Takano said his bill will address the full gamut of issues affecting toxic exposed-veterans, access to health care and benefits, while also reforming the VA's "presumptive" decision-making process to provide health care to more than 3.5 million veterans who have been exposed.

The White House on Monday announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs is also making efforts to rework their policies – the VA proposed a rule that would recognize nine new respiratory illnesses as conditions that are presumed linked to a veterans' military service, which would help fast track them for payouts and medical care.

Dennis McDonough, secretary of Veterans Affairs, alluded to the proposed changes during an interview with ABC News last month.

McDonough, acknowledging the "cumbersome" process veterans must go through to prove their illnesses are linked to exposure to burn pits, told ABC News that the department is working to establish the evidence to suggest even more illnesses are linked to burn pit exposure that he hopes the department will soon recognize.

The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee is undertaking its own effort to address the issue of toxic exposure for veterans as part of a three-step, bipartisan approach. But advocates, including Stewart and Feal, say the Senate's effort doesn't go as far in scope.

Some senators, however, are concerned that the House's version of the bill is too pricey: the House bill calls for nearly $300 billion in spending over 10 years.

Michael Reynolds/EPA via Shutterstock

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi speaks during a news conference on the 'Honoring O...

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called out Republicans who voted against the bill for its hefty price tag at her press briefing Thursday.

"It really amazed me, and I'm rarely amazed and surprised around here," Pelosi remarked to reporters.

"Oh really?" she went on, directing her ire at Republicans.

"You just gave tax cuts in 2017 to the richest people in America," she said, referring to the Republican tax plan that went into effect under the Trump administration.

"Tax cuts for the rich. Cancer for our veterans. That's how we see this discussion and this debate," she added.

During Wednesday's press conference with advocates, Pelosi -- flagged by Stewart and Feal -- defended the price tag.

"Don't even talk to us about the price," Pelosi said. "This is a cost of war that we should recognize … it's going to be worth it. But it's going to have a big price tag."

"Because what we are looking at is the value of what this does for our country," she said.

Sources familiar with the process told ABC News that members of the House and Senate will have to figure out their policy differences and take their respective bills to conference in the coming months to reach a final compromise.

The process could delay passage in the Senate for months to come before it would eventually reach Biden's desk for his signature.

Stewart and Feal had a stark message for members of the Senate.

"Once this is done, make no mistake, then the battle shifts to the Senate. And as you know, they are excellent at killing things that are necessary. And we cannot allow it to happen," Stewart said. "And you cannot allow this feeling of unity and hope and finally being seen to dissipate. We need all of your help to put the pressure on to make sure that the comprehensive needs that they have are passed."

Feal warned Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer that he plans to lobby him hard.

"Let Schumer know that we want a bill compatible to the honorable PACT Act. If he does not do that, then I will make his life miserable," Feal said.

A spokesman to Schumer said in a statement to ABC News: "Leader Schumer believes strongly in this bill and will do everything he can to pass it."