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Biden signs law to fund health benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits

  • President Joe Biden participates in the White House COVID-19 Response...

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    President Joe Biden participates in the White House COVID-19 Response Team's regular call with the National Governors Association in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House Campus on Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in Washington.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden (C) participates in a signing ceremony...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden (C) participates in a signing ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on May 25, 2022. Biden signed an Executive Order to advance policing and strengthen public safety.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden signs an executive order on access...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden signs an executive order on access to reproductive health care services as (L-R) Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco look on during an event at the Roosevelt Room of the White House on July 8, 2022, in Washington, DC. President Biden delivered remarks on reproductive rights at the event.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden pauses while listening to a question...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden pauses while listening to a question from a reporter about the situation in Afghanistan in the East Room of the White House on Aug. 26, 2021, in Washington, DC. At least 12 American service members were killed on Thursday by suicide bomb attacks near the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.

  • Republican members listen as President Joe Biden addresses a joint...

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    Republican members listen as President Joe Biden addresses a joint session of Congress, Wednesday, April 28, 2021, in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

  • President Joe Biden speaks alongside First Lady Jill Biden and...

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    President Joe Biden speaks alongside First Lady Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House Congressional Picnic on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, in Washington, DC.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden (C) is presented with a jersey...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden (C) is presented with a jersey while hosting the Houston Astros to celebrate their 2022 World Series victory in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on Aug. 7, 2023.

  • President Joe Biden takes questions from the press as he...

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    President Joe Biden takes questions from the press as he delivers remarks on the terror attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport, and the U.S. service members and Afghan victims killed and wounded, in the East Room of the White House, Washington, DC on Aug. 26, 2021.

  • President Joe Biden and South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol...

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    President Joe Biden and South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol stand as their two country's national anthems are played during a State Arrival Ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on Wednesday, April 26, 2023.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden shakes hands with High School teacher...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden shakes hands with High School teacher Kurt Russell, the 2022 National Teacher of the Year, after Biden gave remarks during an event honoring the 2022 National and State Teachers of the Year in the East Room of the White House on April 27, 2022, in Washington, DC. Russell is a veteran history teacher from Oberlin High School in Oberlin, Ohio.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden (C) welcomes Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden (C) welcomes Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson (R) and Finland's President Sauli Niinisto to the White House on May 19, 2022, in Washington, DC. The leaders are meeting with President Biden and other U.S. officials to discuss the two countries' request to join the NATO alliance in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

  • Former President Barack Obama bows in acknowledgment of President Joe...

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    Former President Barack Obama bows in acknowledgment of President Joe Biden as he speaks during an event about the Affordable Care Act in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Tuesday, April 5, 2022.

  • President Joe Biden addresses a joint session of Congress, Wednesday,...

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    President Joe Biden addresses a joint session of Congress, Wednesday, April 28, 2021, in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, as Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., stand and applaud.

  • President Joe Biden, surrounded by members of the Tampa Bay...

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    President Joe Biden, surrounded by members of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, poses for a photo holding a jersey during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington on Tuesday, July 20, 2021, where Biden honored the Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their Super Bowl LV victory.

  • President Joe Biden signs the "CHIPS and Science Act of...

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    President Joe Biden signs the "CHIPS and Science Act of 2022" during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, in Washington.

  • Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden arrive to...

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    Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden arrive to give remarks in Statuary Hall of the U.S Capitol on Jan. 6, 2022, in Washington, DC. One year ago, supporters of President Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol Building in an attempt to disrupt a congressional vote to confirm the electoral college win for Joe Biden.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden arrives to deliver remarks about Russia's...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden arrives to deliver remarks about Russia's "unprovoked and unjustified" military invasion of neighboring Ukraine in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 24, 2022, in Washington, DC. Biden announced a new round of sanctions against Russia after President Vladimir Putin launched an attack on Ukraine from the land, sea and air on Thursday.

  • The flags fly at half-staff over the White House by...

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    The flags fly at half-staff over the White House by order of President Joe Biden on Wednesday, May 25, 2022, in Washington, DC, following the Texas school shooting that left 19 kids and 2 teachers dead.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about updated CDC mask guidance...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about updated CDC mask guidance on the North Lawn of the White House on April 27, 2021, in Washington, DC.

  • Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of...

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    Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. stand and applaud as President Joe Biden addresses a joint session of Congress, Wednesday, April 28, 2021, in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

  • U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (L), and President Joe Biden...

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    U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (L), and President Joe Biden participate in a virtual bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Feb. 23, 2021, in Washington, DC. This is Biden and Trudeau's first bilateral meeting.

  • President Joe Biden speaks from the Blue Room Balcony of...

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    President Joe Biden speaks from the Blue Room Balcony of the White House on Monday, Aug. 1, 2022, in Washington, as he announces that a U.S. airstrike killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri in Afghanistan.

  • Guests play cornhole at the Congressional Picnic on the South...

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    Guests play cornhole at the Congressional Picnic on the South Lawn of the White House on July 19, 2023, in Washington, DC.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau deliver opening statements via video link in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 23, 2021, in Washington, DC. U.S. presidents by tradition invite the Canadian prime minister for their first meeting with a world leader. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forced the meeting to be held virtually.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden signs S. 1095, Colonel John M....

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    U.S. President Joe Biden signs S. 1095, Colonel John M. McHugh Tuition Fairness for Survivors Act of 2021, at the White House in Washington, DC on Nov. 30, 2021.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a ceremony commemorating the...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a ceremony commemorating the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 26, 2021.

  • U.S. First Lady Jill Biden, President Joe Biden and Vice...

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    U.S. First Lady Jill Biden, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris watch as dancers from the Sa Dance Company perform during a reception celebrating the Hindu religious festival Diwali in the East Room of the White House on Oct. 24, 2022, in Washington, DC. The reception for Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights and one of the most important festivals within Hinduism, was a first for the White House.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks during an event on...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks during an event on Sept. 2, 2022, in Washington, DC. Biden spoke on the "American Rescue Plan" and investments in the legislation targeting regional economic strategies.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden (L) and Secretary of Homeland Security...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden (L) and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas (C) attend a virtual meeting with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (on monitor) in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on March 1, 2021, in Washington, DC.

  • President Joe Biden, surrounded by members of the Tampa Bay...

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    President Joe Biden, surrounded by members of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, speaks during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, Tuesday, July 20, 2021, where the president honored the Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their Super Bowl LV victory.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden embraces Irish singer-songwriter Niall Horan during...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden embraces Irish singer-songwriter Niall Horan during a Shamrock presentation and reception in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 17, 2023.

  • President Joe Biden (R) looks at First Lady Jill Biden...

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    President Joe Biden (R) looks at First Lady Jill Biden (L) and soccer players Margaret Purce (C) and Megan Rapinoe (2nd R), after signing a proclamation marking National Equal Pay Day 2021, during an Equal Pay Day event in the South Court Auditorium of the White House in Washington DC, on March 24, 2021.

  • President Joe Biden speaks to the nation about the mass...

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    President Joe Biden speaks to the nation about the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas from the White House, in Washington, DC on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, as first lady Jill Biden listens.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in the Roosevelt Room of...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House March 8, 2022, in Washington, DC.

  • President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden watch fireworks...

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    President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden watch fireworks light up the sky from the White House on Inauguration Day on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden signs a proclamation to establish the...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden signs a proclamation to establish the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument in Illinois and Mississippi in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next to the White House, in Washington, DC, on July 23, 2023.

  • President Joe Biden meets virtually with Irish Prime Minister Micheál...

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    President Joe Biden meets virtually with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in the Oval Office of the White House on March 17, 2022, in Washington, DC. St. Patrick's Day events with Prime Minister Martin are being held virtually after it was announced last night that he had tested positive for COVID-19.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a joint news conference...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a joint news conference with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore in the East Room of the White House on March 29, 2022, in Washington, DC.

  • A soldier in the Afghan National Army (ANA) walks past...

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    A soldier in the Afghan National Army (ANA) walks past a burn pit at a command outpost recently handed over to the ANA from the United States Army on March 22, 2013 in Kandahar Province, Zhari District, Afghanistan.

  • President Joe Biden looks to former President Barack Obama after...

    Carolyn Kaster/AP

    President Joe Biden looks to former President Barack Obama after signing an executive order during an event about the Affordable Care Act in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Tuesday, April 5, 2022. Also seen are Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Vice President Kamala Harris, Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. and Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden participates in a virtual meeting about...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden participates in a virtual meeting about mineral supply chains and clean energy manufacturing in the South Court Auditorium of the White House complex on Feb. 22, 2022, in Washington, DC. Earlier in the day, President Biden spoke about the Ukraine-Russia crisis and announced a first round of sanctions against Russia.

  • President Joe Biden speaks about student loan debt forgiveness in...

    Evan Vucci/AP

    President Joe Biden speaks about student loan debt forgiveness in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022, in Washington, DC. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona listens at right.

  • First Lady Jill Biden speaks during a reception celebrating the...

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    First Lady Jill Biden speaks during a reception celebrating the Hindu religious festival Diwali as President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris look on in the East Room of the White House on Oct. 24, 2022, in Washington, DC.

  • Reverend Wheeler Parker, Jr. (R), a member of the Till...

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    Reverend Wheeler Parker, Jr. (R), a member of the Till Family, speaks with U.S. President Joe Biden at a signing ceremony in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next to the White House in Washington, DC on July 25, 2023. President Biden is signing a proclamation establishing the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument in Illinois and Mississippi.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden attends a virtual meeting with Mexican...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden attends a virtual meeting with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on March 1, 2021, in Washington, DC.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden holds Hodge, son of Representative Jimmy...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden holds Hodge, son of Representative Jimmy Gomez (L), Democrat of California, after Biden spoke during a ceremony marking the 13th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on March 23, 2023.

  • President Joe Biden speaks during a virtual COVID-19 summit during...

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    President Joe Biden speaks during a virtual COVID-19 summit during the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021, in Washington.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks about the situation in...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks about the situation in Afghanistan in the East Room of the White House on Aug. 16, 2021, in Washington, DC.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden signs executive orders after speaking about...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden signs executive orders after speaking about climate change issues in the State Dining Room of the White House on Jan. 27, 2021, in Washington, DC.

  • President Joe Biden gestures as he gives remarks on the...

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    President Joe Biden gestures as he gives remarks on the worsening crisis in Afghanistan from the East Room of the White House on Aug. 16, 2021, in Washington, DC. Biden cut his vacation in Camp David short to address the nation as the Taliban have seized control in Afghanistan two weeks before the U.S. is set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war.

  • Actor Rita Wilson (C) sings during a reception celebrating Greek...

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    Actor Rita Wilson (C) sings during a reception celebrating Greek Independence Day hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden in the East Room of the White House on March 29, 2023, in Washington, DC.

  • President Joe Biden meets with, from left, Chairman of the...

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    President Joe Biden meets with, from left, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 25, 2021, in Washington.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden, center, joined by Senate Majority Leader...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden, center, joined by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, (D-NY), left, and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, (D-NY), walk through the Hall of Columns before speaking during a ceremony on the first anniversary of the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2022, in Washington, DC.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden (R) and Jim Crane, Owner and...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden (R) and Jim Crane, Owner and Chairman of the Houston Astros (C), look on as Dusty Baker Jr., Manager of the Houston Astros, is acknowledged during the celebration of the Houston Astros 2022 World Series victory in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on Aug. 7, 2023.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in the Roosevelt Room of...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House March 8, 2022, in Washington, DC. During his remarks, Biden announced a full ban on imports of Russian oil and energy products as an additional step in holding Russia accountable for its invasion of Ukraine.

  • President Joe Biden snaps a photo with guests at the...

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    President Joe Biden snaps a photo with guests at the White House Congressional Picnic on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, in Washington, DC.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden listens during a virtual meeting about...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden listens during a virtual meeting about reducing the costs of meat through increased competition in the meat processing industry in the South Court Auditorium at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Jan. 3, 2022, in Washington, DC. President Biden heard from Attorney General Merrick Garland, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and independent farmers.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks ahead of receiving a...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks ahead of receiving a third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the South Court Auditorium in the White House on Sept. 27, 2021, in Washington, DC.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the one-year anniversary...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the one-year anniversary of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol during a ceremony in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 06, 2022, in Washington, DC.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about updated CDC mask guidance...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about updated CDC mask guidance on the North Lawn of the White House on April 27, 2021, in Washington, DC. President Biden announced updated CDC guidance, saying vaccinated Americans do not need to wear a mask outside when in small groups.

  • President Joe Biden, surrounded by members of the Tampa Bay...

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    President Joe Biden, surrounded by members of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, listens as Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady speaks during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington on Tuesday, July 20, 2021, where Biden honored the Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their Super Bowl LV victory.

  • The Oval Office of the White House is newly redecorated...

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    The Oval Office of the White House is newly redecorated for the first day of President Joe Biden's administration, including busts of civil rights leaders Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr. and a bust of Abraham Lincoln, on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington.

  • President Joe Biden holds the "PACT Act of 2022" after...

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    President Joe Biden holds the "PACT Act of 2022" after signing it during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022, in Washington.

  • President Joe Biden meets with Prime Minister Mark Rutte of...

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    President Joe Biden meets with Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands in the Oval Office of the White House on Jan. 17, 2023, in Washington, DC. Biden and Rutte were expected to discuss a range of bilateral issues during the meeting.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden (Center R) and Vice President Kamala...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden (Center R) and Vice President Kamala Harris (Center L) meet with 10 Republican senators, including Mitt Romney (R-UT), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and others, in the Oval Office at the White House Feb. 1, 2021, in Washington, DC. The senators requested a meeting with Biden to propose a scaled-back $618 billion stimulus plan in response to the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package Biden is currently pushing in Congress.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to members of his cabinet...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to members of his cabinet during a meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on Sept. 6, 2022.

  • President Joe Biden arrives to speak to a joint session...

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    President Joe Biden arrives to speak to a joint session of Congress, Wednesday, April 28, 2021, in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden joins the White House COVID-19 Response...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden joins the White House COVID-19 Response Teams regular call with the National Governors Association to discuss his administration's response to the Omicron variant and to hear from the governors on the needs in their states at the White House in Washington, DC on Dec. 27, 2021.

  • President Joe Biden speaks about the shooting in Boulder, Colo....

    Patrick Semansky/AP

    President Joe Biden speaks about the shooting in Boulder, Colo. on Tuesday, March 23, 2021, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington.

  • Anthony Fauci (R), Director of the National Institute of Allergy...

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    Anthony Fauci (R), Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Chief Medical Advisor to the President, speaks alongside U.S. President Joe Biden as he delivers remarks on the Omicron COVID-19 variant following a meeting of the COVID-19 response team at the White House on Nov. 29, 2021, in Washington, DC. The World Health Organization designated it a variant of concern after South African officials discovered the variant last week.

  • President Joe Biden signs three documents including an inauguration declaration,...

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    President Joe Biden signs three documents including an inauguration declaration, cabinet nominations and sub-cabinet nominations in the President's Room at the U.S. Capitol after the inauguration ceremony on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021.

  • Members of Team USA, first lady Jill Biden, U.S. President...

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    Members of Team USA, first lady Jill Biden, U.S. President Joe Biden, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Douglas Emhoff pose for a photo on the South Lawn at the White House on May 4, 2022, in Washington, DC. President Biden hosts the team to celebrate their victories in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games and Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden joins actors Tom Hanks and Rita...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden joins actors Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson after Wilson sang four songs during a reception celebrating Greek Independence Day in the East Room of the White House on March 29, 2023, in Washington, DC. Greeks commemorate their war of independence from the Ottoman Empire, waged from 1821-1829, on March 25. Married since 1988, Hanks and Wilson are Greek citizens.

  • (L-R) Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Barack Obama and...

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    (L-R) Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Barack Obama and U.S. President Joe Biden arrive for an event to mark the 2010 passage of the Affordable Care Act in the East Room of the White House on April 5, 2022, in Washington, DC. With then-Vice President Joe Biden by his side, Obama signed "Obamacare" into law on March 23, 2010.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden (2nd L) and U.S. Vice President...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden (2nd L) and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (2nd R) meet with members of the White House COVID-19 Response Team on the latest developments related to the Omicron variant on Jan. 4, 2022, in the South Court Auditorium of the White House in Washington, DC. The U.S. recorded more than one million COVID-19 cases on Jan. 3, 2022, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, as the Omicron variant continues to spread at a blistering pace.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden presents gymnast Simone Biles with the...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden presents gymnast Simone Biles with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, during a ceremony honoring 17 recipients in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on July 7, 2022.

  • President Joe Biden signs his first executive orders in the...

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    President Joe Biden signs his first executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington.

  • President Joe Biden shakes hands with Secretary of Labor Marty...

    Andrew Harnik/AP

    President Joe Biden shakes hands with Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh as he speaks about a tentative railway labor agreement in the Rose Garden of the White House on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, in Washington. From left, Deputy Secretary of Labor Julie Su, Walsh, Biden, Celeste Drake, Made in America Director at the Office of Management and Budget, and National Economic Council director Brian Deese.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the start of...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the start of a hybrid virtual roundtable with CEOs and leaders of retail, consumer products firms and grocery store chains in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Nov. 29, 2021, in Washington, DC. President Biden spoke on his administration's plans to keep stores supplied ahead of the holiday season.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden and Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker laugh during...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden and Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker laugh during a Hanukkah Holiday Reception in the Grand Foyer of the White House in Washington, DC, Dec. 19, 2022.

  • President Joe Biden signs his first executive orders in the...

    Evan Vucci/AP

    President Joe Biden signs his first executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington.

  • President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden talk with...

    Carolyn Kaster/AP

    President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden talk with patients after reading "Olaf's Night Before Christmas" to patients at Children's National Hospital in Washington, Friday, Dec. 24, 2021.

  • President Joe Biden speaks during an event on American manufacturing...

    Evan Vucci/AP

    President Joe Biden speaks during an event on American manufacturing in the South Court Auditorium on the White House complex on Monday, Jan. 25, 2021, in Washington.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden and U.S. first lady Jill Biden...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden and U.S. first lady Jill Biden kiss in front of members of Team USA on the South Lawn at the White House on May 4, 2022, in Washington, DC.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden receives a third dose of the...

    Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

    U.S. President Joe Biden receives a third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the South Court Auditorium in the White House on Monday, Sept. 27, 2021, in Washington, DC. Last week President Biden announced that Americans 65 and older and frontline workers who received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine over six months ago would be eligible for booster shots.

  • (L-R) U.S. President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, Vice...

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    (L-R) U.S. President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff participate in a moment of silence at sundown in the South Portico of the White House on Feb. 22, 2021, in Washington, DC. The four held a candlelight ceremony to mark the more than 500,000 lives lost in the U.S. to COVID-19 since the pandemic hit.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks during a Hanukkah Holiday...

    BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

    U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks during a Hanukkah Holiday Reception in the Grand Foyer of the White House in Washington, DC, Dec. 19, 2022.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the Omicron COVID-19...

    Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

    U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the Omicron COVID-19 variant following a meeting with his COVID-19 response team, including U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (L) and Anthony Fauci (R), Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Chief Medical Advisor to the President, at the White House on Nov. 29, 2021, in Washington, DC.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden watches as First Lady Jill Biden...

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    U.S. President Joe Biden watches as First Lady Jill Biden hugs Kurt Russell, the 2022 National Teacher of the Year, during a ceremony honoring the Council of Chief State School Officers 2022 National and State Teachers of the Year in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, April 27, 2022.

  • President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett...

    NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images

    President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on Aug. 27, 2021.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the Bipartisan Infrastructure...

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President Biden signed into law a measure to improve federal health benefits for millions of veterans exposed to toxic smoke from burn pits while serving overseas.

In a ceremony that was equal parts a personal and political victory, Biden enacted the bill on Wednesday that he made a signature goal, not least because his late son, Beau Biden, died of cancer after serving in Kosovo and Iraq.

“We owe you,” Biden said in an emotional ceremony. “You’re the backbone. You’re the steel. You’re the sinew. You’re the very fiber that makes this country what it is.”

President Joe Biden holds the “PACT Act of 2022” after signing it during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022, in Washington.

Biden was introduced by Danielle Robinson, the widow of Sgt. 1st Class Heath Robinson, who died of cancer two years ago. The legislation is named for him.

“Ours is just one story,” Robinson said. “So many military families have had to fight this terrible emotional battle. So many veterans are still battling burn pit illnesses today.”

Biden addressed Robinson’s 9-year-old daughter, Brielle directly. “I know you miss your daddy. But he’s with you all the time,” he said. “He’s inside you. He’s going to whisper in your ear when you have hard decisions to make.”

Then he pointed out that Brielle was sitting next to his grandson, the son of Beau Biden.

“His daddy lost to the same burn pits,” Biden said. “He knows what you’re going through.”

It was the most direct link the president has publicly drawn between Beau’s fatal brain cancer and burn pits. The president made addressing the problem one of his priorities during his State of the Union address in March

The bill marks the culmination of the years-long fight to help veterans exposed to toxic chemicals while serving abroad.

Burn pits were used in Iraq and Afghanistan to dispose of chemicals, cans, tires, plastics, medical equipment and human waste. However, 70% of disability claims involving exposure to the pits, were denied by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

A soldier in the Afghan National Army (ANA) walks past a burn pit at a command outpost recently handed over to the ANA from the United States Army on March 22, 2013 in Kandahar Province, Zhari District, Afghanistan.
A soldier in the Afghan National Army (ANA) walks past a burn pit at a command outpost recently handed over to the ANA from the United States Army on March 22, 2013 in Kandahar Province, Zhari District, Afghanistan.

The legislation will direct officials to assume that certain respiratory illnesses and cancers were related to burn pit exposure, helping veterans get disability payments without having to prove the illness was the result of their service.

“My message to 3.5 million veterans who are possibly affected by burn pits: Don’t be afraid to come forward, come forward,” said John Feal, a staunch advocate for veterans and 9/11 first responders.

“At last, today, we are honoring the service members and their families who have given everything for our country,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), who actively worked with colleagues and veterans alike to ensure passage of the bill

The legislation is projected to cost about $280 billion over the next decade.

Veterans groups and comedian Jon Stewart called Republicans hypocrites weeks prior for giving lip service to vets while refusing to vote for their health care.

Stewart enjoyed a shout-out from Biden as well as a standing ovation at the White House bill signing ceremony.

Eight-year-old Isabelle Cancelino called the ceremony a bittersweet moment as she recalled her late father, Joe Cancelino, an NYPD sergeant who died of a rare cancer after being stationed near a burn pit in Iraq.

“I’m sad my dad passed away, but that’s why we joined (the fight for) burn pits (legislation),” the little girl said.

New York City Mayor Adams said the impact would be felt widely in the five boroughs.

“Our veterans put their health and lives on the line to protect our freedoms. The PACT Act is the least we can do to honor and care for our nation’s bravest once they return home,” Adams said in a statement.

Although the provision involving burn pits has garnered the most attention, other health care services will be expanded as well.

Veterans who have served since the Sept. 11 attacks will have a decade to sign up for VA health care, double the current five years.

The legislation also benefits Vietnam War veterans, adding hypertension to the list of ailments presumed to be caused by Agent Orange, a herbicide used by the U.S. military to clear vegetation.

In addition, veterans who served during the war in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Guam, American Samoa and Johnston Atoll will also be considered to have been exposed to the chemical.

The legislation is considered to be the largest expansion of veterans’ health care in more than three decades, but it became an unlikely political football shortly before it passed.