Jon Stewart returned to Capitol Hill Tuesday to advocate for veterans affected by burn pits and accused Congress of giving warfighters the "cold shoulder," NBC News reports.
The former "The Daily Show" host appeared alongside Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., 9/11 first responder advocate John Feal, former Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin as well as veterans affected by burn pits to present new legislation on the issue.
The Presumptive Benefits for War Fighters Exposed to Burn Pits and Other Toxins Act of 2020 would entitle service members to lifetime health care coverage if they were present at a burn site and suffered from cancer or any respiratory disease linked to carcinogenic toxins.
The VA has downplayed the long-term effects of burn pits, calling them a "common" way for soldiers to get rid of waste at military sites.
"It turns out that the warfighters that were sent to prosecute the battle based on the attack on 9/11 now suffer the same injuries and illnesses that the first responders suffer from, and they’re getting the same cold shoulder from Congress that they received. And so the fight starts again," Stewart said.
