"One Veteran Dying Every Two Days, I Need Your Commitment" | Rep Lee's Devastating Plea To Hegseth

Added: 2026-05-14

[00:00:00]Uh, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, Secretary, Under Secretary, and General, thank you for being here. Uh, Secretary Heckseth, about 11 years ago, US uh, Air Force veteran, Sergeant David Creel, served at who served at the Nevada Test and Training Range, realized for the first time that the health problems he'd been experiencing were not an isolated instant incident, but matched the health problems of many other veterans who had served alongside him at Nitter. He was sitting in his backyard reconnecting with eight of them and asked them, "Does anyone here have tumors?" And six of eight of them raised their hands and then proclaimed that even some of them had children with tumors. Dave, as it happens, had recently had a grape-sized tumor removed uh, from his neck. Three years ago, he came to Washington when the VA had refused to provide him the kind of benefits and coverage he had earned and which he needs from the VA because of his Department of Defense would not provide the agency with his records of his Nitter service. I helped introduce a bill 2 years ago uh, that and have been fighting on his behalf ever since. What is most frustrating about this fight is not that the federal government doesn't recognize these health impacts of their service. In fact, Congress 26 years ago provided a law providing medical coverage and compensation for the Department of Energy employees who served in the very same location that Dave Creel and his colleagues had served in. Instead, their fight is against the Department of Defense red tape, uh, which you have been committed to fighting. Thank you. You see, one of the only things standing between the toxic exposed exposed veterans at Nitter and comprehensive health coverage and benefits from the VA is documentation that the Department of Defense has that will prove that they served where they actually did. This documentation exists and we're just waiting for the department to act. Every day that you delay in providing this information, another veteran and their family suffers unnecessarily.

[00:02:27]Last week, I had the opportunity to meet many of these veterans. Two hours before I met them, one of them received a call from his oncologist informing him that he had multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer. Over the weekend, Dave was notified that two more of his cohort had recent deaths.

[00:02:51]The Invisible Enemy, which is an organization Dave founded, and maintains a memorial list of those who worked at Nitter and have passed away.

[00:03:00]When Dave testified before the House Veterans Affairs Committee round table 13 months ago, 462 veterans were on this list. Today, that list includes 565 names. Just one year of inaction has led to 130 103 veterans passing without the care that they received that they earned and their family without the benefits.

[00:03:30]This list grows by an average of one every two days.

[00:03:34]Mr. Secretary, you have the authority to provide the VA with the documents they need today uh to get these veterans the help they need. These veterans have been waiting far too long. Can you please commit to me that you will be to provide that list or that information as soon as possible so that these veterans can get the care and the benefits that they have rightfully earned.

[00:04:05]Well, thank you for what you're doing for those folks and I can certainly commit to you today that, you know, my chief's right here will make we will get a review for me as soon as early as next week and I'll get back to you on on what our department's position should be on that.

[00:04:19]Okay, well, I I first of all, we have the information.

[00:04:25]The Department of Energy has provided these benefits to the same cohort of people who worked alongside them.

[00:04:33]I can't we cannot wait for another review. I'm asking for your commitment.

[00:04:37]>> I'm not talking about a full review. I'm just talking about a familiarization so I understand exactly what you're talking about, wrap my arms around it, and then get you a response. It's not a it's not a situation I have all the facts on. I just want to get all the facts and understand it before I commit something like that. All right, I just like I said, one person every two days, one veteran who has served this country is dying and their families are going without the benefits they earned. I can't express how urgent this need is. I thank you for your immediate attention to this issue.