Burn pits at military bases are making veterans sick. Now Congress has a plan

On Wednesday, lawmakers unveiled a bill that would expand health care and disability benefits to veterans exposed to toxic chemicals. Some veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were exposed to so-called “burn pits.” Those pits are places at military bases where waste gets incinerated, creating toxic chemicals leading to respiratory illnesses. President Biden’s own son Beau, who served in Iraq with the Delaware National Guard, was exposed to burn pits. These pits are called a modern-day Agent Orange.