SOURCE: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

After the 9/11 attacks in 2001, nearly three million members of the armed forces deployed overseas to serve their country. Many veterans face significant personal and economic challenges upon returning home. Thousands have serious health complications.

Over 100 bills have been introduced to address issues that U.S. veterans are facing. If we chose the veterans topics, we would focus on the most meaningful bills that have bipartisan support.

President Biden suggested veterans’ issues as another of the four most promising issues for bipartisan action. A leading example of legislation he suggested is a bill that would recognize and address the devastating health effects that veterans suffer from exposure to burn pits. Open air burn pits were commonly used in Iraq and Afghanistan to dispose of waste, including rubber, chemicals, paint, plastics, petroleum products, and medical and human waste.

In fact, there is so much bipartisan support in Congress for burn pit legislation it may move too quickly for us. The House has already passed a bill 256-174. Several Members of Congress have warned us that it may pass before we would have a chance to brief and poll our members on it.

Nevertheless, other veterans’ bills might attract enough bipartisan support to pass in 2022 that we could work on such as addressing the problem of homelessness among veterans.