The PACT Act will secure benefits and care for Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan-era veterans exposed to toxic substances while serving overseas. All 11 votes against the measure came from Republicans. The vote was a surprise, as the bill was originally passed by the Senate 84-14 on June 16 and received overwhelming Republican support. Robinson died in 2020 of a rare lung cancer he attributed to smoke exposure during his deployment in Iraq in 2006 and 2007. The PACT Act "expands VA benefits for veterans who have been exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances," according to the VA. Itwas a result of months of bipartisan negotiation, and it had already passed the Senate in June with strong Republican support. May 1 (UPI) -- First Republic Bank was sold Monday to JPMorgan Chase, as regulators seek to calm a turbulent banking sector that has seen three U.S. banks fail in less than two months. "Well, screw that, they don't support veterans. Don't ever thank me for my service again.". Si vous ne souhaitez pas que nos partenaires et nousmmes utilisions des cookies et vos donnes personnelles pour ces motifs supplmentaires, cliquez sur Refuser tout. Jon Stewart, Ted Cruz feud over bill to aid veterans exposed to toxic burn pits, Senate passes PACT Act, latest effort in yearslong fight to help veterans exposed to toxic burn pits, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The bill was approved in the Senate by a vote of 86-11 a week after 41 Republicans elected to stall the final passage of the measure, citing concerns over its cost. Biden signs PACT Act to expand healthcare for vets exposed to toxic burn pits, Senate passes bill giving veterans healthcare coverage for burn pit afflictions, Biden signs 9 laws ensuring better healthcare for veterans. hide caption. Who's running for president in 2024? 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. 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. Tax cuts for the rich, cancer for our veterans. Activists had spent a dozen years campaigning for such an expansion a period during which they lost many of their own, including Sgt. Today, The Breakfast Club gave Donkey of the Day to the 11 republicans that voted against the PACT Act that would provide aid to Veterans. Steve Daines and Roger Wicker voted against the bill after not voting in June. pic.twitter.com/TAuE12G8l0. The bill could be called for another vote by its supporters. Currently, more than 70 percent of disability claims related to burn pit exposure are denied by the VA due to veterans inability to prove their illnesses or cancers are linked to exposure to burn pits. GOP senators vote against PACT act, a bill to help veterans impacted by toxic substances What does the PACT Act do? WebRT @sfpelosi: Extreme MAGA Republicans say they love our vets til its time to honor their service by funding their earned benefits. "The American people are sick and tired of the games that go on in this body. We have a collective responsibility to the veterans who have served our country, and I would support legislation that better targets disability eligibility requirements based on scientific evidence and research, the senator added. ", Tillis said through a statement in June that "while well-intentioned, the PACT Act creates new promises to veterans while breaking existing ones, which is why I could not support its passage.". The Senate approved the bill by a vote of 86-11. NOW WATCH: Meet the Republicans who are Trump's likely successors. And theyre doing so over Republican pushback. Unfortunately, 25 Senators recently voted to block the passage of the PACT Act. Veterans and their loved ones gathered in Washington, D.C., on Thursday for what was supposed to be a long-awaited celebration. American Airlines pilots authorize strike. The bill, which was brought forward by Tester and Republican Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas, called for the expansion of healthcare and disability benefits for veterans who had been exposed to toxic materials during their military service. trillion dollar corporate tax cutBost helped pass in 2017. deemed mentally incompetent the right to continue to own firearms, "I choked on the odor from the winds when they would pick up after a while. Schumer has said he would schedule another procedural vote for Monday. There is a mechanism created in this bill, its a budgetary gimmick, that has the intent of making it possible to have a huge explosion in unrelated spending $400 billion, Toomey claimed on the Senate floor Wednesday. Ron DeSantis. In remarks on the Senate floor, he decried it as a "budgetary gimmick" that would create $400 billion in unrelated spending by moving it from the discretionary to mandatory category. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. It's an outrage and there has to be accountability. The Senate voted 84-14 last month in favor of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022. ", 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. | July 31, 2022 1:00 AM. Remember that along with all the ones that voted against the PACT Act. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi made this point in her, "For the Republicans to go to the floor and say their veterans really don't want this help with their health because it's going to cost money and they're more concerned about the budget than they are about their health, oh really? If we pass the PACT Act, as is, that number jumps to over a million, she tweeted, offering another bill from her colleague, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), which would allow veterans to seek care at facilities in their communities. Pour en savoir plus sur la faon dont nous utilisons vos donnes personnelles, veuillez consulter notre politique relative la vie prive et notre politique en matire de cookies. Twenty-five Republican senators who had voted for the bill in June voted against advancing the bill last week, citing an objection to how the legislation is paid for. On July 13, the House overwhelmingly approved the bipartisan expanding health care and benefits for toxin-exposed veterans and sent the package back to the Senate with only a minor change. While not all Republican senators who voted against the bill talked publicly about why they did so, Republican Senator Toomey said on the Senate floor that he voted against the bill because it would create $400 billion in unrelated spending. Schumer, who had voted 'yes' the previous time and strongly supports the bill, changed his vote to 'no' as a simple procedural move allowing him to reconsider the cloture vote at any time. Susan Zeier, mother-in-law of the late Sgt. mesurer votre utilisation de nos sites et applications. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Democrats are attempting to pass the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which includes a historic $369 billion to be spent over the next 10 years to address climate change, health care, inflation, and taxes. Are Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney in love, or are they good actors? Veterans and their allies have also protested continually in front of the Capitol. A bill aimed at protecting veterans exposed to toxic materials during their service was shut down yesterday in the Senate, in a 55 to 42 vote that failed to meet the 60-vote threshold necessary to advance the legislation. Don't ever thank us for our service again. Drew Angerer/Getty Images They had voted for it the first time, they changed because they want to protest a separate bill is what I understand, he said. Steve Daines and Roger Wicker voted against the bill after not voting in June. Something went wrong. Biden, Marcos to discuss U.S.-Philippines partnership in White House meeting. "My concern about this bill has nothing to do with the purpose of the bill," Toomey said. Open-air burning of trash and other waste has been a common practice in the military for decades. In a statement, the senator said he is committed to ensuring health and disability benefits are provided to veterans exposed to toxic substances while on their tours of duty.. The bill contains two major components: a grace period for veterans who served near burn pits to get medical care, and a policy that tells the VA how to approach certain illnesses and cancers. These are all the Republican Senators who voted John Barrasso, Marsha Blackburn, Roy Blunt, Mike Braun, Bill Cassidy, John Cornyn, Tom Cotton, Kevin Cramer, Ted Cruz, Joni Ernst, Deb Fischer, Bill Hagerty, Josh Hawley, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Jim Inhofe, Ron Johnson, John Kennedy, Roger Marshall, Mitch McConnell, Rob Portman, Ben Sasse, Tim Scott, Rick Scott, Dan Sullivan and Todd Young. #ProtectVeteransHealthCare . Don't ever thank us for our service again. 26 Apr 2023 18:30:33 "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.". That's how we see this discussion and this debate. Many of the House supporters of the bill are hopeful that the 40 veterans organizations that are behind it can createthe right amount of pressure to get the Senate to do the right thing. What the hell? The Senate Republicans who voted against the bill include: Richard Burr of North Carolina, Mike Crapo of Idaho, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Mike Lee of Utah, 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. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. 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.. Toomey led the opposition effort to the bill last week when he complained about the mandatory spending, which he called a budgetary gimmick on the Senate floor. ", Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal had a message for the Department of Veterans Affairs Tuesday night: "I have a message to the VA: You better get it right. We CANNOT trust the same extreme MAGA Republicans who voted against PACT ACT vets cancer care to fund it - they wont! WebRT @RedTRaccoon: 217 Republicans just voted to cut the budget of Veterans Affairs. The bill like many issues related to veterans' health had amassed deep bipartisan support, and easily passed the Senate by an 84-14 vote in June. I just can't take a deep breath anymore.". "You support the war machine. and after 25 Senators voted against the bipartisan bill. We, Yahoo, are part of the Yahoo family of brands. In a nearly 10-minute speech, Jon Stewart unleashed his vitriol toward Senate Republicans over their votes against advancing the veteran-focused PACT Act.. Democrats argued the GOP was shifting its position because it was unhappy with a separate deal worked out by Sens. You can change your choices at any time by clicking on the 'Privacy dashboard' links on our sites and apps. I don't think my runtime has ever recovered. Meet the candidates and likely candidates vying for your vote, Trump arrives in Scotland to open golf course. Here are the 11 senators who opposed the bill: PACT ACT passes: Senate passes PACT Act, latest effort in yearslong fight to help veterans exposed to toxic burn pits, Toomey, who led the opposition to the measure, said in a tweet,"Tonight, the Senate voted to give us the chance to fix a completely unnecessary budget gimmick in the underlying text of the PACT Act. Crowds, high prices and the White Lotus effect: Worst places to travel Facebook privacy settlement: Who is eligible for a payment? THE HILL 1625 K STREET, NW SUITE 900 WASHINGTON DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 TEL | 202-628-8503 FAX. Drew Angerer/Getty Images #ProtectVeteransHealthCare. It makes no sense. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. It had been hailed as the largest expansion of care in VA history, and was expected to cost $280 billion over a decade. GOP senators vote against PACT act, a bill to help veterans impacted by toxic substances. The PACT Act would reclassify nearly $400 billion in VA funding, allowing Dems to instead spend that on their liberal wish list, he wrote. Kos Media, LLC. Trump motion to declare mistrial in E. Jean Carroll lawsuit denied, U.S. to let Afghan evacuees renew temporary legal status, Tornado hits Virginia Beach, likely damaging hundreds of homes, First Republic Bank seized by regulators, then sold to JPMorgan Chase, Texas man who lost wife and son in shooting shares story, Supreme Court to hear case that could curb power of federal agencies, Mental health of LGBTQ youth worsening in current "hostile political climate", Waiter killed, woman wounded in shooting at popular New Orleans restaurant, MasterChef Australia host Jock Zonfrillo found dead at 46, Senate passes aid for vets harmed by burn pits, Senate passes aid for veterans harmed by burn pits. Apr. Actions speak louder than words, and you just showed us who you are. After days of backlash, lawmakers are set #ProtectVeteransHealthCare. The bill now heads to President Biden's desk, and the White House says he looks forward to signing it. 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.. "This budgetary gimmick is so unrelated to the actual veterans' issue that has to do with burn pits, that it's not even in the House version of this bill.". Senate Republicans threatened to burn a bill that would have helped veterans. Please enter a valid email and try again. 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. We CANNOT trust the same extreme MAGA Republicans who voted against PACT ACT vets cancer care to fund it - they wont! May 1 (UPI) -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Montana filed a lawsuit Monday challenging the censuring of transgender state Rep. Zooey Zephyr, who has been barred from attending remaining sessions of the state House in person.

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