Former The Daily Show host (and coming Apple TV+ host) Jon Stewart is no stranger to taking fights to Capitol Hill to fight for healthcare for those who serve their country. To that end, he’s renewed his push for veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits and are now suffering grave health effects, years after their tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Burn pits have been linked to respiratory illnesses and cancer, but the Department of Veterans Affairs has so far come up short in providing benefits linked to the pits, and the Washington Post has detailed how Stewart is pushing legislation that will remove the “burden of proof” upon veterans to prove the link of their illnesses to burn pit exposure.
Sean Hannity, who normally does not see eye-to-eye with Stewart on anything (and vice versa), took notice of Stewart’s efforts and tweeted out a link to Mediaite’s story on the subject. “Don’t often agree with Jon Stewart,” the Fox News host wrote. “He’s right on this. It’s total bullsh*t. Help our vets. Republicans need to own this.”
Don’t often agree with Jon Stewart. He’s right on this. It’s total bullshit. Help our vets. Republicans need to own this.https://t.co/rTKUZkWgfR via @mediaite
— Sean Hannity 🇺🇸 (@seanhannity) May 27, 2021
Mediaite detailed Stewart’s sentiments from this week when he spoke alongside House Veterans’ Affairs Committee members in support of the Honoring Our PACT Act, and Stewart pointed out how veterans “talk about what they think they could get.” Stewart says that these veterans’ words prove that they’re feeling the effects of how they’re forced to prove the link between their suffering and toxic pit exposure. Stewart blames “Congress’ reticence and inaction,” which has left “our veterans community over these many years to negotiate against itself.” He elaborated upon why this is unconscionable:
“Defense contractors can view the U.S. Congress as Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, while veterans are back there like Oliver with a bowl of gruel asking, ‘Please, sir, may I have some more? It’s bullsh*t and it’s gotta stop. And if these bills can finally end this cycle for the veterans… then we have to get this done.”
There you have it. Hannity and Stewart both agree that this is “bullsh*t” treatment of veterans, so perhaps Congress can finally come together, too. Stewart’s been tweeting on the subject as well. “Veterans deserve presumption of toxic exposure, not another “study” or bureaucratic process that doesn’t guarantee treatment and disability,” he argued. “This is the only bill that gets it done. #BurnPitAct”
Veterans deserve presumption of toxic exposure, not another “study” or bureaucratic process that doesn’t guarantee treatment and disability. This is the only bill that gets it done.#BurnPitAct
— Jon Stewart (@jonstewart) March 26, 2021
Stewart also tweeted a video to illustrate how terribly the U.S. has treated veterans who have been afflicted (in some cases, fatally) by burn pit exposure.
https://twitter.com/jonstewart/status/1375593128380469258
(Via Washington Post, Mediaite & Axios)