GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert heckled Biden as he spoke about veterans dying of cancer, including his son

Veterans are "the backbone and spine of this country," President Biden said during Tuesday's State of the Union address, and he believes the United States has "a sacred obligation" to care for them while they serve and once they come home.
Biden said his administration is providing assistance to veterans seeking job training and housing, and will do more for those who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan and "faced many dangers, one being stationed at bases breathing in toxic smoke from burn pits." Those burn pits incinerate "the waste of war, medical and hazardous material, jet fuel, and so much more," Biden said. Many troops who breathe this in, some of "the fittest and best trained warriors of the world," come home and are "never the same."
They experience "headaches, numbness, dizziness, a cancer that would put them in a flag-draped coffin," Biden said. "I know. One of those soldiers was my son, Maj. Beau Biden." Beau Biden, who served in Iraq, died of brain cancer in 2015, and the president said he didn't know if a burn pit played a part in his illness.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Just as he began speaking about his late son, Biden was interrupted by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), who appeared bound and determined to get her voice heard at some point during the State of the Union address. She tried and failed to get a "Build the wall" chant going as Biden discussed immigration, and after Biden said "flag-draped coffin," she attempted a new heckle.
"You put them in, 13 of them!" she shouted, in reference to the 13 U.S. troops who were killed in a bombing at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, last summer. She was immediately met by boos, with one Democrat yelling, "Kick her out!" and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) seemingly muttering, "Shut up."
Biden ignored Boebert, going on to say his administration is "committed" to finding out more about burn pits and their link to illnesses. He then introduced Danielle Robinson, the widow of Sgt. 1st Class Heath Robinson, who died after being stationed near burn pits.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Why Turkey's Kurdish insurgents are laying down their arms
Under the Radar The PKK said its aims can now be 'resolved through democratic politics'
-
Book reviews: 'Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves' and 'Notes to John'
Feature The aughts' toxic pop culture and Joan Didion's most private pages
-
The FDA plans to embrace AI agencywide
In the Spotlight Rumors are swirling about a bespoke AI chatbot being developed for the FDA by OpenAI
-
Kurdish PKK militia to disband for Turkey talks
speed read The Kurdistan Workers' Party will disarm after four decades of armed conflict with Turkey, putting an end to 'one of the longest insurgencies in the Middle East'
-
US, China agree to lower tariffs for 90 days
speed read US tariffs will fall to 30% from 145%, while China will cut its tax on US imports to 10% from 125%
-
India strikes Pakistan as tensions mount in Kashmir
speed read Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called it an 'act of war'
-
Israel approves plan to take over Gaza indefinitely
speed read Benjamin Netanyahu says the country is 'on the eve of a forceful entry'
-
Putin talks nukes as Kyiv slated for US air defenses
speed read 'I hope they will not be required,' Putin said of nuclear weapons on Russian state TV
-
US, Ukraine sign joint minerals deal
speed read The Trump administration signed a deal with Ukraine giving the US access to its mineral wealth
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Israel launches air strike on Beirut suburbs
Speed Read The attack targeting Hezbollah was Israel's third on the Lebanese capital since November's ceasefire