President Biden will visit Texas next week to highlight one prong of the “unity agenda” he proposed at his first State of the Union: support for veterans.
Biden will head to Fort Worth next Tuesday, the White House announced. It will mark his second trip to the red state since taking office. He previously toured the state after it was hit by damaging winter storms.
During Tuesday night’s State of the Union, Biden proposed a “unity agenda” comprised of four items he urged Congress to pass on a bipartisan basis: addressing the opioid epidemic, providing resources for children’s mental health, supporting veterans and ending cancer.
The president specifically called on Congress to pass a law to ensure care for veterans exposed to toxic chemicals while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Biden has said he believes the chemicals from burn pits may have contributed to the brain cancer that ultimately killed his son, Beau, in 2015.
“Veterans are the backbone and the spine of this country. They’re the best of us,” Biden said. “I’ve always believed that we have a sacred obligation to equip those we send to war and care for those and their family when they come home.”
But Biden’s plea for more aid for veterans was interrupted on Tuesday night when Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) heckled the president over the death of 13 U.S. troops in Afghanistan during the evacuation of American forces from the country last August. The conservative congresswoman’s comments prompted boos and groans from others in attendance.