Comedian Jon Stewart is pushing the Biden administration to fix a loophole in a veterans aid bill. The bill left out some U.S. troops who responded overseas after 9/11 then got sick.
The U.S. military deployed special operations forces to Uzbekistan just a few weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to a base in Karshi-Khanabad, known as K2. Soviet troops left K2, an air base used for chemical weapons processing, littered with debris including highly radioactive uranium powder.
Since then, thousands of U.S. military veterans who served at K2 reported complex medical conditions. Research showed radiation exposure caused those conditions.
In 2022, President Joe Biden signed a massive veterans aid bill, known as the PACT Act. While it does address many of the health issues plaguing K2 veterans, it does not include coverage for radiation exposure.
K2 veterans have asked the Department of Veterans Affairs for help for years. However, the agency said it is still working with the Pentagon to study the issue and determine whether to add radiation exposure coverage.
“Imagine you’re stationed inside the meth lab on ‘Breaking Bad,’” Stewart said in an interview with The Associated Press. “These guys were exposed to a toxic soup of basically an exploded chemicals and nuclear weapon facility.”
Stewart, most famously known for his work on “The Daily Show,” has long advocated for firefighters and emergency personnel who responded to 9/11. He also testified for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who came home with cancers or other serious illnesses after exposure to toxins while deployed.
Stewart called the PACT Act “an immense improvement.” However, he said a small adjustment to address the radiation exposure at K2 could fulfill the PACT Act’s intent.
