{"id":37499,"date":"2022-07-28T19:28:10","date_gmt":"2022-07-28T19:28:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/07\/28\/angry-veterans-advocates-scramble-to-save-toxic-exposure-bill-after-surprise-setback\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T06:41:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T06:41:45","slug":"angry-veterans-advocates-scramble-to-save-toxic-exposure-bill-after-surprise-setback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2022\/07\/28\/angry-veterans-advocates-scramble-to-save-toxic-exposure-bill-after-surprise-setback\/","title":{"rendered":"Angry veterans advocates scramble to save toxic exposure bill after surprise setback"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Veterans advocates scheduled a victory-lap press conference outside the Capitol for Thursday morning in anticipation of passing new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/burn-pits\/2022\/06\/16\/here-are-the-veterans-who-will-benefit-from-congress-sweeping-toxic-exposure-bill\/\" target=\"_blank\">toxic exposure benefits legislation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2022\/07\/27\/new-benefits-for-burn-pit-victims-in-limbo-after-senate-republicans-block-plan\/\" target=\"_blank\">41 Senate Republicans blocked the measure<\/a> on Wednesday night, the event turned into a obscenity-laced rage fest instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAmerica\u2019s heroes who fought our wars are outside sweating their asses off, battling all kinds of ailments, while these motherfuckers sit in the air conditioning walled off from any of it,\u201d comedian and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/09\/15\/jon-stewart-leads-renewed-fight-on-benefits-for-burn-pit-victims\/\" target=\"_blank\">activist Jon Stewart<\/a> told the grumbling crowd. \u201cThey don\u2019t have to hear it. They don\u2019t have to see it. They don\u2019t have to understand that these are human beings suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey haven\u2019t met a war they won\u2019t sign up for and haven\u2019t met a veteran they won\u2019t screw over.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/07\/28\/new-benefits-for-burn-pit-victims-in-limbo-after-senate-republicans-block-plan\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/884326.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">New benefits for burn pit victims in limbo after Senate Republicans block plan<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The measure was expected to be passed this week, but now faces an uncertain future.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, after supporters believed they were just a few procedural votes away from a monumental congressional victory, they\u2019re left wondering whether their anger can restart legislative momentum on the stalled veterans bill and salvage something from years of lobbying efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The measure \u2014 the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, or PACT Act \u2014 could affect benefits for as many as one in five veterans living in the U.S. today. It has been touted for months as potentially the most significant veterans policy changes in years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It dramatically expands benefits for illnesses believed to be linked to burn pit smoke in Iraq and Afghanistan, Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam and proximity to other harmful military contaminants in varied service eras. It also would force changes in how the Department of Veterans Affairs evaluates and awards benefits for those kinds of illnesses in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The PACT Act was expected to pass out of Congress in late June, but a technical correction mandated another set of votes in the House and Senate for final approval. It advanced on a 342\u201388 vote in the House two weeks ago with significant Republican support and already had been supported in the Senate with a 84\u201314 vote in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But 27 Republicans changed their support during a procedural vote Wednesday evening, sidelining the bill for now and frustrating supporters who thought their work was all but done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt came out of nowhere,\u201d said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York and a longtime supporter of the benefits expansion. \u201cAnd it was total bullshit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Senate leaders can bring the measure up for another procedural vote in the next few days, but they\u2019ll only do so if they\u2019re confident they have satisfied Republican objections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And they admit they still aren\u2019t sure exactly what those objections are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In June, Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pennsylvania, led the Senate opposition to the measure over how the $300 billion in spending over the next decade would be classified. The bill categorizes the new money and some already established payouts as mandatory spending. Toomey wants the existing spending to remain unchanged, saying reclassifying it may allow appropriators to add more spending to non-defense accounts in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, only 13 other Republicans backed Toomey\u2019s concerns during the vote on the measure. Several declined to answer questions on why they switched their votes now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democratic leaders say they think other political issues played a larger role in the rest of the GOP caucus\u2019 change of heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere are really only two explanations,\u201d Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, said on the Senate floor Thursday. \u201cThe first is that 30 Republicans just changed their mind. Three weeks ago they thought it was a good bill, and three weeks later they decided that it wasn\u2019t a good idea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe less charitable explanation is this: Republicans are mad that Democrats are on the verge of passing climate change legislation and have decided to take out their anger on vulnerable veterans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During Wednesday\u2019s veterans vote, Senate Democratic leaders announced they had reached a long-sought budget reconciliation deal that includes new climate change provisions, health care protections and tax increases for upper income Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The potential proposal has been decried by Republicans for months, some of whom vowed to block a host of unrelated legislation if the deal advanced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eight Republicans \u2014 including Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee ranking member Jerry Moran, R-Kansas \u2014 voted for moving ahead with the PACT Act. Senate Democrats need at least 10 to advance the legislation, and more if members of their caucus are absent with injuries or illnesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Thursday, Moran said he is working to find a solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI have no doubt that we\u2019ll get there,\u201d he said. \u201cI am working with Republicans and Democrats to make certain that it happens sooner rather than later.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But he also acknowledged that he was surprised by the new opposition to the bill, and uncertain about all of the reasons behind it.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/06\/16\/here-are-the-veterans-who-will-benefit-from-congress-sweeping-toxic-exposure-bill\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"201\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/201591.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Here are the veterans who will benefit from Congress\u2019 sweeping toxic exposure bill<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Veterans who served in Afghanistan, the first Gulf War, Vietnam and numerous other overseas locations could see new benefits under the plan.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the problem with the PACT Act relates to Toomey\u2019s objections, lawmakers could amend the bill and send it back to the House for another vote. However, with the House and Senate poised to leave town for August break in the next week, final passage would likely not happen until September, if longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Thursday afternoon said the chamber would attempt another PACT Act vote on Aug. 1. That will include a debate on a potential amendment to address Toomey\u2019s accounting concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But if the objections are tied more to chamber politics than the provisions of the PACT Act, however, the path to moving the measure forward is murkier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Veterans groups at Thursday\u2019s rally said they shifted from planned congratulatory phone calls to senators for supporting the PACT Act to restarted lobbying efforts instead. Several advocates went directly from the rally to senators\u2019 offices, pleading with them to find a quick solution to the latest obstacle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re here now with friends of ours that need help breathing because of their illnesses from deployments,\u201d Tom Porter, executive vice president for government Affairs at Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said at Thursday\u2019s rally. \u201cBut there are also people that aren\u2019t here with this anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNot everybody understands all these intricacies about party politics and cloture votes. We just want to know why veterans are getting screwed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RzKBWaysk8k?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen title=\"Jon Stewart goes nuclear at Capitol after PACT Act blocked\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jonstewart?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@jonstewart<\/a> blasts <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/LeaderMcConnell?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@LeaderMcConnell<\/a> as a liar, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenToomey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@SenToomey<\/a> as a coward for their votes on the <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/PACTAct?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#PACTAct<\/a> yesterday. \u201cYou don\u2019t support the troops, you support the war machine \u2026 They haven\u2019t met a veteran they won\u2019t screw over.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/odIXYPz1Mn\">pic.twitter.com\/odIXYPz1Mn<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Leo Shane III (@LeoShane) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/LeoShane\/status\/1552678474787307520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 28, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I want to be clear about 2 things: <br><br>1. Any version of \u2018Build Back Better\u2019 will make inflation worse and should be opposed.<br>2. Veterans are not a political bargaining chip.<br><br>Delaying the PACT Act was the wrong call. The Senate should not play politics with veterans\u2019 healthcare.<\/p>&mdash; Rep. Brian Mast (@RepBrianMast) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepBrianMast\/status\/1552706316585484288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 28, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;We just want to know why veterans are getting screwed.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":69218,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":21,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,24,89,16,26,65,21],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3328],"class_list":["post-37499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"PHFT42GIG5A5ZMFFDL7QMMIXTM","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/burn-pits\/2022\/07\/28\/angry-veterans-advocates-scramble-to-save-toxic-exposure-bill-after-surprise-setback\/","remove_feature_photo":true,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Angry veterans advocates scramble to save toxic exposure bill after surprise setback - Air Force TImes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"&quot;We just want to know why veterans are getting screwed.\u201d\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Angry veterans advocates scramble to save toxic exposure bill after surprise setback\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&quot;We just want to know why veterans are getting screwed.\u201d\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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