President Joe Biden stood in a Salt Lake City gymnasium Thursday morning and preached the benefits of bipartisanship during his only public event for his quick trip to Utah.
The president spoke at the Salt Lake City Veterans Affairs health center in front of a number of supporters to mark the one year anniversary of the PACT Act, a bill that expanded benefits for military veterans exposed to toxic chemicals from burn pits overseas. The bill had passed with bipartisan support, and Biden said it’s an example of what’s possible.
“We are the United States of America," Biden said. "There’s nothing — nothing beyond our capacity when we decide to work together to get it done.”
The PACT Act was personal for Biden. He paused at points during his speech to gather himself, particularly when discussing his late son, Beau, a soldier who died of brain cancer in the years after he was exposed to burn pits regularly.
“My son was about 400 yards from one of the burn pits living there for a year in his group," the president told the crowd. "They breathed that toxic material sometimes for months at a time, and in the case of my son and his buddies, for an entire year.”
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox greeted Biden after Air Force 1 landed Wednesday in Salt Lake City, and he was one of the officials who helped introduce the president Thursday. Here’s what he said about the PACT Act:
“These aren't just numbers," Cox told reporters after the event. "These are real people and real people that we know, that have served our country, if family members, friends, neighbors, and a great opportunity for us to again, find a way to come together.”
It should be noted that all of Utah’s Congressional Delegation voted against the PACT Act last year.
Along with Biden, Cox has been pushing for bipartisanship lately. The governor said he and the president had discussed the recent national monument designation in Arizona that Biden signed earlier this week, as well as how to best protect veterans.
Biden participated in a Park City fundraiser Thursday afternoon before he left Utah and returned to Washington.
