newsletter, telling NBC News that he expects it will pass, However, given the blowback the GOP has faced, veterans activist and former television host John Stewart, protested continually in front of the Capitol, Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, attended Bidens State of the Union address. In a 2019 speech to the Service Employees International Union, then-candidate Biden said because of his son's "exposure to burn pits, in my view, I can't prove it yet, he came back with stage four glioblastoma.". Unfortunately, Democrats wrote in a $400 billion hole in the discretionary budget they can fill with spending totally unrelated to veterans, the spokesperson said. Veteran AffairsCommittee chairman Mark Takano (D-CA) praised the work that was done on the bill he brought to the floor last year, saying,This fight is not over, but I will not rest until our veterans have a guarantee in statute that their government will take care of them when they come homeno matter the cost.. Two Democrats and one Republican abstained, while 47 Democrats, 8 Republicans and 2 independents voted to pass the bill. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others attend a news conference on Capitol Hill on Thursday, the day after Senate Republicans blocked a procedural vote to advance PACT Act. Sign up for notifications from Insider! Senate Republicans threatened to burn a bill that would have helped veterans. First Class Heath Robinson, for whom the bill is named. Half our revenue comes from readers like you, meaning we literally couldn't do this work without you. #ProtectVeteransHealthCare. ", This fight is not over, but I will not rest until our veterans have a guarantee in statute that their government will take care of them when they come homeno matter the cost., On Thursday, Jon Stewart joined veterans groups in D.C. before the historic vote and spoke about the hope and political will that seemed to becoalescingat the right time. Now we will see if Republicans and Joe Manchin can figure out a way to tell veterans that while we can pay for them to go abroad and get sick and die for our country, we cant afford to take care of them when they come home. We should all take pride in this moment. Stewart, the former talk show host who's become a high-profile veterans advocate, lambasted the Republican senators in a furious, expletive-laden speech. New flights available after widespread delays in U.S. air travel. #ProtectVeteransHealthCare . Steve Daines and Roger Wicker voted against the bill after not voting in June. Eleven Republican senators voted Tuesday against a bipartisan measure, the PACT Act, that is designed to help veterans who were exposed to toxic chemicals while deployed abroad. We CANNOT trust the same extreme MAGA Republicans who voted against PACT ACT vets cancer care to fund it - they wont! Don't ever thank us for our service again. Of the 42 senators who voted against the PACT Act, 41 were Republicans. A spokesperson for Rischs office said the senator was a strong supporter of veterans but did not support the $400 billion in mandatory spending. That's how we see this discussion and this debate. Mr. Biden has blamed burn pits for the health problems of his late son, Beau Biden, who died of a brain tumor in 2015. Both chambers of Congress previously approved the bill, with the Senate voting 84-14 in June in favor, but the bill was forced into another vote after administrative issues were found in its text. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Congress has an obligation to ensure the VA can effectively and efficiently implement any comprehensive toxic exposure legislation and, unfortunately, I continue to have reservations about the Departments ability to do so, he told the news outlet. ", Susan Zeier, mother-in-law of the late Sgt. The Department of Veterans Affairs announced Wednesday that over 500,000 claims have been filed since President Joe Biden signed the PACT Act into law in August. Democrats argued the GOP was shifting its position because it was unhappy with a separate deal worked out by Sens. and after 25 Senators voted against the bipartisan bill. If it were to fail, the GOP would again find itself at the center of protests and accusations the party would like to avoid ahead of the midterms. First Republic Bank seized by regulators, sold to JPMorgan Chase. "To date, VA has awarded more than $1 billion in earned benefits to Veterans and survivors who filed PACT Act-related claims," the VA said in a press release Wednesday. The PACT Act will secure benefits and care for Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan-era veterans exposed to toxic substances while serving overseas. Known as the PACT Act, the bill no longer would force generations of veterans to prove that their illness was caused by toxic exposures suffered in the military in order to get VA coverage. Some of those senators are veterans themselves. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. "The embarrassment is just going to keep growing over this," Laura Harth, the campaign director at Safeguard Defenders, told Newsweek. Ron DeSantis. The vote was a surprise, as the bill was originally passed by the Senate 84-14 on June 16 and received overwhelming Republican support. WebRT @RedTRaccoon: 217 Republicans just voted to cut the budget of Veterans Affairs. Find out more about how we use your personal data in our privacy policy and cookie policy. Unfortunately, 25 Senators recently voted to block the passage of the PACT Act. ET: This article was updated to correct that veterans were exposed to burn pits before 9/11. Crowds, high prices and the White Lotus effect: Worst places to travel Facebook privacy settlement: Who is eligible for a payment? Before the vote on final passage, the Senate agreed to three cost-controlling amendments on the bill, which led a number of Republicans to back it. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of trying to block Toomey's amendment. #ProtectVeteransHealthCare . Open-air burning of trash and other waste has been a common practice in the military for decades. Republicans decision to oppose the bill has been met with massive backlash; veterans activist and former television host John Stewart has made numerous appearances calling on the GOP to return to backing the bill, including on Fox News. Nevertheless, senators voted for the measure overwhelmingly. We CANNOT trust the same extreme MAGA Republicans who voted against PACT ACT vets cancer care to fund it - they wont! Bost did try to push that amendment and Bost didnt vote for the bill, saying the increased spending of $208 billion over the next 10years was wildly expensive.Not as expensive as a trillion dollar corporate tax cutBost helped pass in 2017. Veterans groups, family members, longtime advocate Jon Stewart and several Democratic lawmakers gathered outside the U.S. Capitol after the vote on Thursday to voice their outrage. His expected result came after three Republican-submitted amendments to the bill proposed by Toomey, Blackburn, and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. were defeated. Those amendments, Schumer said at a press conference, would be voted on as part of a deal that ensured the passage of the PACT Act. The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, otherwise known as the PACT Act, was introduced in June by Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA), who chairs the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, with the aim to address and fund health care, research, and other matters related to veterans who were exposed to toxic substances, including burn pits large trenches dug to burn and dispose of sewage, medical waste, and other trash during their service. The measure was sent to the White House after Republicans had blocked the legislation last week, objecting to the inclusion of $400 billion in mandatory spending that would not be subject to annual appropriations review unlike the usual discretionary spending for federal agencies and programs that Congress reviews and approves annually. It could also allow Democrats to effectively spend the same money twice and enable hundreds of billions in new, unrelated spending on the discretionary side of the federal budget, McConnell said on Thursday. With many areas in rural Oklahoma, the people have to drive a very long way to be able to get to a VA hospital and I am very passionate about them getting to one thats close to them.. April 26 (UPI) -- The Department of Veterans Affairs announced Wednesday that more than 500,000 claims have been filed since President Joe Biden signed the PACT Act into law in August. This opposition raised the question of why more than two dozen Republicans, many veterans themselves, voted for it earlier this summer but flipped last week. Robinson died in 2020 of a rare lung cancer he attributed to smoke exposure during his deployment in Iraq in 2006 and 2007. What does the PACT Act do? These 41 Senate Republicans Voted Against Veterans - N Of the 42 senators who voted against the PACT Act, 41 were Republicans. 27 Apr 2023 15:51:44 Apr. Trump calls for mistrial in civil rape case, says judge has made Watch live: White House monkeypox response team holds briefing, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 26 Apr 2023 18:54:28 You just gave tax cuts in 2017 to the richest people in America. Kunce served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as a Marine officer and was deployed in Iraq where he was stationed near a burn pit and developed a post-nasal drip due to his exposure. File Photo U.S. Navy/Arlo K. Abrahamson/UPI |, ACLU files suit against Montana House over censure of transgender lawmaker. Cotton, Ernst, Sullivan are veterans, and they are delaying healthcare for some of the men and women that they served with.". Bob Carey of the veterans' service organization Independence Fund urged senators to stay overnight and into the weekend if needed, even offering to bring coffee, donuts and barbecue if it would help get the job done quickly. ", Sick veterans demand medical coverage for illnesses caused by burn pits, The abortion ruling has troops and veterans speaking out, some for the first time, Veterans Say 'Burn Pits' Created Toxic Clouds That Made Them Sick, After spiking earlier talks, Manchin agrees to a new deal on climate and taxes, Jon Stewart Uses His Celebrity To Bring Attention To Vets Exposed To Burn Pits. The GOP came under tremendous pressure to shift from veterans who were camped out on the U.S. Capitol steps.
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