Stewart, the previous late night time comedian-turned-activist arguably has been essentially the most vocal critic of GOP lawmakers who voted the measure down in that procedural vote, a transfer that regarded prone to delay the measure till after lawmakers
return from their summer break in September.
The veterans haven’t got the luxurious of ready one other month, he mentioned.
“Inform their most cancers to take a recess,” he advised CNN sooner or later after studying that the measure had stalled. “Inform their most cancers to remain dwelling and go go to their households.”
Democratic Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer held the brand new vote on the measure Tuesday night, giving Republicans an opportunity to show that they really do help the troops to whom they so usually pay lip service.
The GOP tried to attain political factors by delaying this important piece of laws that will help an estimated 3.5 million army veterans. This concern is actually a matter of life and loss of life for these sickened by publicity to toxins emitted from burn pits.
Burn pits had been generally used to burn trash, munitions, hazardous materials and chemical compounds at army websites all through
Iraq and Afghanistan till about 2010. They had been usually operated at or close to army bases, releasing harmful toxins into the air which will have brought on short- and long-term well being circumstances.. However prior to now, greater than
70% of claims filed for disabilities related to burn pit publicity had been denied by the Division of Veterans Affairs (VA).
The PACT Act would repair that. The laws would offer tons of of billions of {dollars} over the subsequent decade to assist them. And going ahead, veterans uncovered to burn pits will now have the presumption of getting contracted sure respiratory sicknesses and cancers, permitting them to extra simply acquire incapacity funds.
So why did Senate Republicans block laws that will assist tens of millions of vets final week? Might it’s that the GOP would not need to hand President Biden a legislative win on a difficulty he has lengthy championed — particularly so near November’s midterm election?
Some speculate that Republicans backtracked as a part of a
backlash after being caught by surprise over the deal introduced final week by Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer — cast in secrecy with West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin — on laws to deal with local weather change, assist decrease prescription drug prices and improve tax revenues.
Republican Senator Ted Cruz — who not solely voted in opposition to the invoice final Wednesday to assist veterans, however despicably, was seen
fist-bumping different GOP Senators to have a good time the blockage of the laws —
claimed it was as a result of the measure contained a price range “gimmick.”
Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, who was a number one voice in oposition to the invoice, mentioned in a
statement after the vote final week that scuttled the invoice that if it had been to approve the invoice in its present kind, “Congress would successfully be utilizing an necessary veterans care invoice to cover a large, unrelated spending binge.” Cruz
told TMZ that the invoice represented “a part of the out-of-control spending by the left.”
However Cruz and his Republican colleagues within the Senate in mid-June handed an nearly an identical model of the invoice, which cleared the chamber by a vote of 84-14, (with all 14 “no” votes coming from Republicans).
Stewart, who has been
publicly advocating for this laws since September 2020 (and who additionally
championed efforts to extend federal funding for 9/11 First responders)
called out Cruz on Twitter. “This is not a sport. Actual folks’s lives hold within the steadiness… People who fought in your life,” he wrote.
Stewart is 100% appropriate about Republican game-playing. The PACT Act handed the Home final month with solely
minor tweaks — however these minor adjustments prompted one other vote by the Senate. Final week, 25 GOP senators, together with Cruz — flipped their earlier “sure” votes to dam it.
Democratic Senator Jon Tester, who co-wrote the invoice with Kansas Republican Senator Jerry Moran, mentioned Republicans’ explanations for why they pulled their help in final week’s vote simply did not maintain water.
“My colleagues could make up all types of excuses as to why they determined to alter their vote for this invoice,” he mentioned.
All in all, it quantities to the worst sort of political gamesmanship, with the lives of America’s veterans within the steadiness. They deserve much better. And Tuesday night time, they received it.
This piece has been up to date to replicate the most recent vote within the Senate.
