The Senate voted against a non-binding resolution calling for the protection of health care benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits during their service.
Introduced by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), ranking member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, the measure aimed to “ensure full and uninterrupted funding” for health care and benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs provided by the PACT Act as well as “preventing any cuts or delays.”
Early in the morning on Friday, the Senate rejected the measure in a 52-47 vote. Republicans overwhelmingly voted against it, with the exception of Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) who voted in favor of the majority-Democrat-backed amendment. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) did not vote.
Before encouraging Republicans to vote against the measure, Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) said on the Senate floor that toxic exposure is not a partisan issue and that Republicans are always in favor of fully funding the VA.
Patrick Murray, national legislative director for Veterans of Foreign Wars said that the resolution was “more of a message than anything binding.” However, if PACT Act funding, care or benefits do get rolled back, veteran care might be rationed or not given “in a timely manner,” he added.
The Congressional measure does not officially remove funding related to the PACT Act, but discussions around cuts to veteran benefits have been gaining traction.
Posted by John3262005
4 Comments
Stewart get your ass in gear.
What the fuck is Fetterman’s problem
CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT
ACCELERATE ACCELERATE ACCELERATE
Here’s a funny aspect
PACT act is an essentially binding presumption in favor of veterans, but not for contractors
So somebody doing mission critical work who has the exact same exposures and the exact same illness has to litigate against the company’s insurance carrier
Often these are veterans who get the toxic exposure on post-discharge contracting gigs