Senate Republicans Block PACT Act That Would Have Helped Veterans: Here’s Why

Republicans blocked a bill on Wednesday that many saw as a bipartisan knockout, which aimed to expand certain benefits for veterans because of the toxic exposure they experienced while deployed, leaving many veterans and their supporters shocked.

the covenant Law, a bill that would have expanded Department of Veterans Affairs medical care to assume that veterans whose military service included exposure to burn pits (large trenches dug to burn and dispose of sewage, medical waste, and other garbage) would be victims exposure to toxic substances and fumes when they occur with certain diseases. The bill would have removed the burden of proof that veterans currently need to receive assistance.

Both houses of Congress previously approved the bill and the Senate voted 84-14 in favor in June, but the bill was forced to go to another vote after “administrative problems” were found in its text. After the changes were made, it was expected to go quickly through Congress and be signed into law by Biden.

However, 25 Republican senators changed their vote and blocked the bill on Wednesday.

Supporters and activists, such as former talk show host John Stewart, who had gathered on Capitol Hill hoping for a celebration after the bill’s passage, were frustrated. On Thursday, Stewart and others joined lawmakers including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in calling out Republicans for rejecting the bill.

“You don’t have to hear it, you don’t have to see it, you don’t have to understand that these are human beings. We already understand, these are not heroes, they are men and women, “Stewart said in a speech on Capitol Hill Thursday.

With the final count in the Senate on Wednesday at 55-42 (three abstentions) the exact reason the Republicans flipped, they claim It has nothing to do with the focus of the bill, but rather how the funds would be allocated and managed.

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), who led opposition to the bill, expressed his desire to want an amendment focused on budget spending.

“There is a mechanism created in this bill, it is a budget trick, that is intended to make possible a huge explosion in unrelated spending: $400 billion. This budget gimmick has nothing to do with the real budget issue having to do with combustion pits which is not even in the house bill,” Toomey said on the Senate floor Wednesday.

Toomey said CNN wants the bill’s funding to be handled through an annual appropriations process, rather than the current mandatory spending structure.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said he doesn’t support the “budget trick” either, but he does support the bill.

“As written, the legislation would not only help American veterans as designed. It could also allow Democrats to effectively spend the same money twice and unlock hundreds of billions in new, unrelated spending on the discretionary side of the federal budget,” McConnell said in Thursday. “There is no excuse why the Democratic leader should continue to block Senator Toomey’s common sense amendment. A bill this important and bipartisan deserves us to fix this accounting hack, and then deserves to become law. “

The question remains why more than two dozen Republicans, many of whom are veterans, voted in favor last month but changed this week. According to some Democrats, the bill was blocked for political gain.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), argues that Republicans alternately took their anger out on a separate PACTS Act bill. Democrats are trying to push the Inflation Reduction Lawa historical $369 billion that will be spent over the next 10 years to address climate change, health care, inflation, and taxes.

“The least charitable explanation is this,” Murphy said, explaining why so many Republicans have changed: “Republicans are angry that Democrats are about to pass climate change legislation and have decided to take their anger out on vulnerable veterans. Because that’s the other thing that’s changed in the last three weeks. Republicans thought Democrats weren’t going to be able to pass a bill asking corporations to pay a little more to tackle climate change. Yesterday, news broke that there is a deal that makes it likely that a climate change bill will advance on the Senate floor, and magically 30 votes changed.”

This change, Democrats say, came in reaction to the secondary bills, which are expected to be voted on this week.

Democratic candidate for an open seat in the Missouri Senate, lucas kunce, echoed the sentiment in an interview with Vox. “They had voted yes the first time, they changed because they want to protest a separate bill, as I understand it,” he said. Kunce served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as a Navy officer. and was deployed to Iraq, where he was stationed near a pit to burn and developed a post nasal drip due to its exposure.

Vox’s Li Zhou also recently reported that Republicans Do not do they want the Inflation Reduction Act passed and they need unanimous support to stop it. Since Biden came out in praise of her, the bill has a high possibility of approval.

What is the bill and why is it important?

Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Pledge to Address Comprehensive Toxics Lawalso known as the PACT Act, was introduced in June by Representative Mark Takano (D-CA), who chairs the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, with the goal of addressing and funding health care, research, and other issues related to veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during service.

The bill contains two main components: a grace period for veterans who served near burn pits to get medical care, and legislation that tells the VA how to address certain diseases and cancers. Veterans would not have to show that their illnesses are directly related to exposure to combustion pits to receive disability payments and assistance. Currently, the VA denies 70% of all disability claims related to fire pit exposure because veterans cannot prove that their illnesses or cancers are related to fire pit exposure.

Cancers and other problems supposedly related to burn pits can show up years later, as happened to Sgt. 1st Class Heath Robinson, after whom the bill is named. Robinson died in 2020 of a rare lung cancer that he attributed to smoke exposure during his deployment to Iraq in 2006 and 2007.

Kunce said he felt that many in the military assumed they would not find themselves in such a damaging situation. “[It was] It’s probably a dumb assumption, but… you have to trust the system first,” Kunce said. “Secondly, you don’t have a choice, do you? I mean, you’re there, there’s nothing else you can do.”

Robinson’s wife, an advocate for victims of burn pit exposure who have been denied the benefits, attended President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address earlier this year, where he laid out his support for improving veterans’ benefits as part of his so-called bipartisan policy. “unit agenda” which, among other things, focuses on commitment to veterans by keeping promises made regarding healthcare, mental health, and homelessness.

The PACT Act bill also plays into a larger conversation going on about veterans’ rights. In June, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of a veteran whose case involved exposure to burn pits in Torres vs. Texas Department of Public Safety. The ruling allows US Army veteran Le Roy Torres to sue the state of Texas after losing his job due to an injury he received while serving.

Whats Next?

Activists, lawmakers and veterans alike are demanding more action, with some even calling the vote criminal while criticizing Republicans for holding up the bill.

“Wait a minute. You’re not going to help our veterans, because we want to: reduce the cost of prescription drugs, the cost of health care, to protect the planet. Of course, you don’t agree with any of those things, but would you use that to vote against our veterans? It’s really immoral, almost criminal,” he said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Another procedural vote is scheduled for Monday, but Schumer can technically call the Senate to vote at any time. In light of the recess beginning August 5, punctuality will be key.