Biden highlights veteran health care during Utah visit

President Joe Biden commemorated the one-year anniversary of signing the PACT Act, a law that expands health care benefits for veterans, in Salt Lake City yesterday.

Why it matters: The PACT Act provides additional health care benefits to veterans who have been exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange and other dangerous materials.

The big picture: Biden's brief visit to the Beehive State is the last leg of his three-state tour of the western U.S. that included stops in Arizona and New Mexico.

• Biden was also scheduled to attend a pricey fundraiser in Park City on Thursday before flying back to D.C.

Catch up quick: His remarks come one day after the FBI fatally shot Craig Deleeuw Robertson, who was accused of making threats against Biden prior to his Utah visit.

• The incident occurred when special agents attempted to serve arrest and search warrants at Roberton's Provo residence.

Context: Biden said his son, Beau, who died of brain cancer in 2015, lived near a toxic burn pit for a year in Iraq while serving in the U.S. military.

• "We only have one truly sacred obligation and that is to equip those we send into harm's way and care for them and their families when they come home — and when they don't," he said at the George E. Wahlen Department of VA Medical Center.
• "It's personal for my family, but it's also personal for so many of you."

Of note: All of Utah's Congressional delegation voted against the act.

By the numbers: More than 3,000 of the state's approximate 138,000 veterans have applied for benefits under the PACT Act, according to Gov. Spencer Cox, who welcomed the president.

• The majority of claims filed by Utahns have been processed.
• Veterans have until Aug. 14 to file their PACT Act claims.

Yes, but: Nationally, about 384,700 of the estimated 843,000 claims filed in the last year have not been processed, the New York Times reports.

Details: Cox and Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall welcomed Biden on his first visit to Utah since 2016, when he served as vice president.

• "There's been some question over whether or not the governor of the state of Utah would welcome the president of a different party," said Cox, the newly elected chair of the National Governors Association. "I think it's insane that we're having those conversations in our country today."
• Earlier in the week, Cox criticized Biden's creation of a new national monument near the Grand Canyon.