Bilirakis, Ruiz, Welch, Tillis, Gillibrand, Murkowski and Klobuchar Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bills to Eliminate Burn Pits and Help Veterans Exposed to Burn Pits

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL-12) and Raul Ruiz (D-CA-25) have introduced the Waste and Illegal Property Eradication (WIPE) Act alongside Senators Peter Welch (D-VT), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). These bipartisan, bicameral bills that would improve, expand, and enhance protections for Veterans under the PACT Act in addition to eliminating burn pits to help prevent future toxic exposure cases. The WIPE Act would improve servicemember health and strengthen national security by improving how the U.S. military eliminates dangerous materials both at home and overseas. This legislation invests in safer disposal systems for the future by replacing outdated and harmful waste disposal practices with modern, secure alternatives and will incur no increase in overall defense spending by offsetting the same amount from funds allocated for current open-air waste disposals in contingency operations. The WIPE Act’s provisions prohibiting the use of open-air burn pits was included in the Senate’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26).

“Exposure to toxic emissions from burn pit toxins has led to tragic consequences for far too many members of our military community. We owe it to our heroes to transition to safer, more sustainable waste management technologies,” said Congressman Bilirakis. “We have a moral obligation to explore ways to protect public health, reduce environmental harm, and fulfill our responsibility to those impacted by outdated and dangerous disposal practices. Our bill is an important step in the right direction.”

“As an emergency medicine physician and founder of the bipartisan Burn Pits Caucus, I’ve seen firsthand the devastating health consequences toxic exposure has had on our servicemembers. The WIPE Act takes urgent, practical steps to eliminate burn pits and strengthen protections for veterans who have already suffered too much. These bipartisan bills are about accountability, prevention, and doing right by the men and women who sacrificed for our country. We must ensure no generation of Veterans is ever again left to suffer from toxic exposure,” said Representative Dr. Ruiz.

“When we passed the PACT Act, we took a major step forward to ensure the cost of the war will include the cost of caring for the warrior. But we can—and must—do more to address the risk burn pits and other toxic substances pose for our Veterans,” said Senator Welch. “These bills will improve protections for Veterans exposed to toxic substances and invest in waste disposal alternatives that will eliminate burn pits. I’m proud to lead this bipartisan group in introducing these essential, common-sense bills.” 

“Our servicemembers make extraordinary sacrifices to defend our nation, and we owe it to them to ensure they are not exposed to unnecessary harm while serving,” said Senator Tillis. “These commonsense bills allow us to invest in safer, more secure waste disposal systems to eliminate the use of toxic burn pits and improve data collection on burn pit exposure to better protect the health of our troops and Veterans.”