First lady hosts Veterans Day breakfast, supports caregivers

© Provided by The Associated Press FILE – First lady Jill Biden arrives before President Joe Biden for a news conference in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Nov. 9, 2022. Biden will host a Veterans Day breakfast at the White House on Friday morning as she announces new support for children who live with wounded service members and veterans. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON (AP) — First lady Jill Biden hosted a Veterans Day breakfast at the White House and announced new support for children who live with wounded service members and veterans.

The initiative, known as the Hidden Helpers Coalition, helps young people who act as caregivers.

After the Friday breakfast, Jill Biden will join Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Douglas Emhoff, for the annual remembrance at Arlington National Cemetery.

© Provided by The Associated Press President Joe Biden speaks at the COP27 U.N. Climate Summit, Friday, Nov. 11, 2022, at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Joe Biden acknowledged the sacrifices of America’s veterans as he addressed a United Nations climate conference in Egypt.

“This day is a day of commemoration at home in the United States. It’s Veterans Day,” he said. “America’s veterans and their families, survivors and caregivers are the very spine and soul of the United States. And on this special day, on every day, I honor all those who sacrifice to our nation, like my son.” Biden’s son Beau served in Iraq as a member of the Delaware Army National Guard.

© Provided by The Associated Press First lady Jill Biden waves as she and President Joe Biden walk to board Air Force One at John F. Kennedy International Airport, Monday, Oct. 31, 2022, in New York, after attending a private memorial service. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

The Democratic president also released a video message before he left Thursday night for Egypt. He also has stops in Cambodia and Indonesia before he returns for his granddaughter’s wedding at the White House on Nov. 19.

This is the first Veterans Day since Biden signed legislation expanding health care for service members who were exposed to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan or to chemicals that were used in previous conflicts.

More than 137,000 claims involving toxic exposure have been filed, the Biden administration says. The Department of Veterans Affairs also began asking veterans about possible toxic exposure earlier this week in an attempt to identify any health complications.

The legislation, known as the PACT Act, was a priority for Biden. His eldest son, Beau Biden, died of brain cancer in 2015, several years after he was exposed to a burn pit during military service in Iraq.

© Provided by The Associated Press First lady Jill Biden speaking at an event for Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-Va., in Ashburn, Va., Monday, Nov. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

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