SAN BERNARDINO, CA—This week, Rep. Pete Aguilar joined local veterans and community leaders for a roundtable discussion about Veterans Health Care. In March, Rep. Aguilar voted for the Honoring the Our PACT Act, which would ensure more than 3.5 million veterans who were exposed to toxic substances while serving overseas have access to the health benefits they earned.

“For too long, veterans have gone to the VA with illnesses that they believe are a direct result of their service and the burden of proof was on them to demonstrate that their illness should be covered, but our legislation changes that,” Rep. Aguilar said. “This is potentially the largest expansion of veterans health care in a generation, covering 3.5 million veterans.”

“On behalf of the Redlands Marine Corps League and all Inland Empire Veterans, I would like to personally thank Congressmen Aguilar for hosting the round table discussion today on Toxic Burn Pit Exposure. Congressmen Aguilar’s support of legislation that recognizes the negative impact that toxic burn pit exposure has had on our veteran’s health,  is truly appreciated and displays the Congressmen’s continued support of all our Inland Empire Veterans,” said Jeffrey Breiten, Past Commandant Detachment 1459, Marine Corps League, Redlands.

Photos from Rep. Aguilar’s Roundtable:

With the support of 42 Veterans Service Organizations, the Biden-Harris Administration, and advocates Jon Stewart and John Feal, the Honoring Our PACT Act, which passed the House of Representatives on a bipartisan vote, finally treats toxic exposure as a cost of war by addressing full range of issues impacting toxic-exposed veterans.

Joining Rep. Aguilar at the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 12 in San Bernardino were:

• Edward Amaya, San Bernardino County Veteran Affairs
• Richard Valdez, Veterans Advisory Board
• Jose Mendoza, Disabled American Veterans
• Jeff Breiten, Marine Corp League Detachment 1459
• Gilbert Roldan, Marine Corp League Detachment 1459
• Anthony Lamadrid, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 6476
• Maximillian Hernandez, San Bernardino Veteran Center
• John McKay, Commander, American Legion Post 710, San Bernardino
• Denise Cane, Commander, American Legion Post 650, Redlands
• Gwendolyn Pawluk, MSgt, USAF, Retired

Rep. Aguilar serves as the Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, the Committee on House Administration and the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol.

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