Comedian and host of “The Daily Show” Jon Stewart is angry that, once again, the Department of Veterans Affairs is “punting” the ball on help for veterans.
A meeting with VA Secretary Denis McDonough on Friday left Stewart and some American troops frustrated because they were told “additional information” was needed to move forward with seeing if U.S. veterans sickened by uranium are covered.
“The secretary today said he has the authority statutorily to make the change, to make sure the K2 veterans are covered presumptively,” Stewart said, according to the Associated Press.
But McDonough said there would be a delay pending more information, prompting Stewart to note, “I believe punting is the correct term for what happened.”
Many troops deployed shortly after 9/11 were exposed to uranium at a former chemical weapons site in Uzbekistan. Many service members died after the exposure and many remain sick, trying to get the government to cover the medical costs for years.
According to AP:
The denied claims were supposed to have been fixed by the PACT Act, a major veterans aid package bill that President Joe Biden signed in 2022 and said is one of his proudest accomplishments in office. For many veterans it has made access to care much easier.
ADVERTISEMENTBut the bill left out the the uranium exposure that’s still hurting some of the very first troops deployed in response to the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Just weeks after the attacks, special operations forces were sent to Karshi-Khanabad, Uzbekistan, or K2, a badly contaminated former Soviet base that was a strategic location for launching operations against the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Stewart has long advocated for veterans and 9/11 first responders and was more than frustrated by another delay.
“Getting these guys in front of DoD does nothing because they’re going to obfuscate, but getting them in front of the White House would be really important,” he told reporters after the meeting.
Let’s get it done!!!! https://t.co/r732B5UfA7
— Jon Stewart (@jonstewart) July 26, 2024
“We continue to urgently consider every option to further assist these veterans and survivors, and we will keep them apprised every step of the way,” VA spokesman Terrence Hayes said.
The Defense Department is reportedly “aware of the health issues and associated claims of veterans” who served at K2 and is “working with the Department of Veterans Affairs on a way forward,” according to a statement from Sabrina Singh, deputy Pentagon press secretary.
K2 vets stationed on base w 40,000 times the radiation of normal ground. 40,000 times. Yet the DOD and VA continue to dispute exposure…great article by Tara Copp and a huge thank you to @C__Herridge for her outstanding reporting and determination to keep this story alive! https://t.co/JorXRAxXxb
— Jon Stewart (@jonstewart) July 23, 2024
“More than 15,000 troops were deployed at K2 from 2001 to 2005. While the VA does not have statistics on how many are sick, the veterans’ grassroots organization has contacted about 5,000 of them and more than 1,500 are reporting serious medical conditions, including cancers, kidney and bone problems, reproductive issues and birth defects,” the AP reported.
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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