Republican Senators Betray Veterans by Blocking PACT Act; Jon Stewart Delivers Scathing Speech

Veterans were fuming after Republican senators betrayed them by blocking a bill that was supposed to expand their healthcare eligibility.

Senate Republicans suddenly tanked the widely supported PACT Act or the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins Act, which supposedly had bipartisan support.

Supporters of the bill, including the veterans who might have benefitted from it, expected it to sail through the Senate before 41 Republican senators blocked the bill's passage on Wednesday night.

According to NBC News, the bill would have helped over 3.5 million post-9/11 combat veterans who were exposed to toxins while serving in the military.

Veterans of America CEO Says Republican Senators Were Playing With the Veterans

Veterans affected by these toxins have lobbied both the Senate and the House for years in order to get the bill passed. The Senate first passed it in June with an overwhelming vote of 84-14. It then underwent minor changes in the House but still passed 342-88.

It then went back to the Senate, and veterans expected it to pass with the vote not changing much. However, much to their surprise, 41 Senate Republicans turned to block the bill. It is still unclear why these Republicans flipped, but veterans' groups are saying that the move was purely political in nature.

Jeremy Butler, the CEO of the non-profit organization Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said they have already seen so much partisanship and games in Congress.

However, the bill's blockage was still shocking. He noted that the Senate Republicans were just playing with the veterans, and the reasons they give for blocking the bill were manufactured. He added that this is a new level of low for them.

Many veterans reacted to the bill's blockage with anger and frustration. One of them, Le Roy Torres, said that senators should not be allowed to leave until they figure out the issues with the bill.

According to the Economic Times, the PACT Act was drafted after the death of Kosovo and Iraq War veteran Heath Robinson. He died due to lung cancer, which may have been caused by his exposure to burn pits.

President Joe Biden was also one of the people rallying for the bill to pass, as his son, Beau Biden, died from brain cancer that was also linked to his exposure to burn pits in Iraq.

Burn pits were a regular practice in Afghanistan and Iraq, as the U.S. military burned computers, electronics, other equipment, and even human waste with jet fuel. The fumes may have led to cancer for many of them.

Jon Stewart Delivers Impassioned Speech in Front of the Capitol

One of the biggest names lobbying for the PACT Act to pass is comedian and veterans' rights activist Jon Stewart. The former Daily Show host appeared with the veterans he worked alongside and delivered a speech in front of the Capitol on Thursday.

Stewart blasted Republican senators for denying the veterans the healthcare they earned and deserved for risking their lives in service of the United States.

He called those who voted against the bill's passage "an embarrassment to the Senate, to the country, to the Founders." Stewart then blasted the GOP's hypocrisy and said their "America First" policy was a disgrace.

Republican senator Ted Cruz talked about the bill and said he had concerns about the mandatory spending for the bill. Stewart responded with an expletive-laden video that called his excuses "bulls***."

"This is no trick, everything in government is either mandatory or discretionary spending," Stewart said. He added that Cruz and the GOP are acting as if this is a new thing that the Democrats are doing to get this bill passed.

The host of "The Problem With Jon Stewart" explained that the spending on veterans' healthcare should always be mandatory so their funding would not get cut off.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Jon's Response to Ted Cruz's PACT Act Excuses - From The Problem With Jon Stewart