President Joe Biden calls care for veterans a ‘sacred obligation’ in Fort Worth visit
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President’ Biden’s visit to Fort Worth
Presient Joe Biden visited Fort Worth on Tuesday to promote health care for veterans.
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Live updates: President Biden visits Fort Worth VA, Resource Connection; $5 gas in Texas?
President Joe Biden calls care for veterans a ‘sacred obligation’ in Fort Worth visit
Family of Texas Marine veteran in Russian prison speaks with President Biden on phone
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Welcome to Fort Worth, Mr. President. Now, can we talk about these insane gas prices?
‘We owe you’: Biden says he’ll make it easier for vets to get the care they deserve
President Joe Biden said it was a “sacred obligation” to care for soldiers when they come home as he formally announced his “unity agenda” Tuesday in Fort Worth.
Biden, speaking at the Resource Connection, said veterans often feel they don’t have the right to ask for help when they come back from conflict.
He was introduced by Fort Worth city council member Elizabeth Beck, who served in Iraq. Beck described waiting to apply for veterans benefits, calling the process a battle.
“You have the right to ask,” Biden said. “We owe you.”
Biden’s trip to Fort Worth on Tuesday included a stop at the VA Clinic, where technologies used to help veterans were demonstrated.
Army veteran John Caruso used an exoskeleton device to help him walk with the assistance of a physical therapist. Biden was also shown a power wheel chair, with off road and elevation features.
Biden didn’t make remarks at the event but visited with Caruso and other veterans. Also joining Biden were Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley and three members of Congress who traveled with the president from Washington: Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas and Rep. Jake Ellzey, R-Waxahachie.
Biden’s stop in Fort Worth shows he cares about veterans, said retired Sgt. Manuel Ortiz, an Army veteran who goes to the clinic. He is part of the Post 9/11 Military VA Case Management Program.
Oritz said Biden said he was proud of the veterans there and that he’d “do everything he can to give us the benefits we deserved and earned” and that he’s going to change the VA.
“I think him showing that he cares, and also because I know he had a son that served as well, so I think this is a big for him in terms of how he can change the healthcare run at the VA,” Ortiz said.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters traveling with Biden on Air Force One that veterans’ health is a “core pillar” of the president’s unity agenda, and Biden’s visit to Texas, with a group of bipartisan lawmakers, demonstrates his commitment to the issue. Psaki said Biden picked Texas for his remarks, because it is home to the second-largest population of veterans in the country, and nearly 55% of Texas veterans served when burn pits were used.
Biden, during his State of the Union address, spoke about burn pits and the effects they can have on veterans. Burn pits were also part of his speech while in Fort Worth, as well as general assistance for veterans.
The issue is a personal one for Biden, whose son Beau was an Iraq war veteran. He died of brain cancer in 2015. The White House referenced the family tragedy when the trip was announced, saying Biden knows “firsthand the challenges that come from military service and deployment to combat zones.”
During his State of the Union speech on March 1, Biden said his son’s illness and death may have been linked to toxic exposure.
“I don’t know for sure if the burn pit that he lived near, that his hooch was near in Iraq and earlier than that in Kosovo, is the cause of his brain cancer and the disease of so many of our troops,” Biden said. “But I’m committed to find out everything we can.”
The U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month passed legislation expanding toxic exposure coverage to veterans who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and certain areas during the Vietnam War. The bill had unanimous support among Democrats, with 34 Republicans joining in support of the legislation. No Texas Republicans voted for the bill. It must get Senate approval before being sent to Biden
Lawmakers have separately sought to make it easier for veterans who served in areas that had burn pits to get health care and other benefits. The push has the support of Texas Republicans John Cornyn, Ted Cruz and Michael Burgess.
David Carmichael, a U.S. Army veteran who lives in Burleson, said he is part of the VA’s burn pit registry after serving overseas in Iraq. He was later diagnosed with esophageal cancer in August of last year.
“When we go overseas to fight for our country, not only do we take the risk of bullets, bombs and everything else, we don’t know what kind of environmental contaminants that we’re going to run into anywhere in the world,” he said.
Biden’s visit to the VA clinic drew some protesters, who stood on the side of the highway near the clinic’s entrance. Signs reading “Trump Won” and “Let’s Go Brandon” were among those stationed near the access road.
Jim Ross of Burleson, who said he goes to the Fort Worth clinic, was among those outside in the cold weather.
“He finally got close enough I could protest against him,” Ross said.
He questioned the president’s care for veterans.
“It’s just a political move,” Ross said.
Debbie Ranfield of Fort Worth isn’t a Biden supporter but did see some room for bipartisan work around veteran issues.
“Everyone that joins together for the vets is wonderful,” she said.
Staff Writer Harrison Mantas and McClatchy D.C. writer Francesca Chambers contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 8, 2022 at 5:13 PM.
