41 Republicans Betrayed Veterans Today!

Published

Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.

41 Republican senators who have government-run fully covered health care, voted against veterans today (no surprise) ... here is the list:   

These 41 Senate Republicans Voted Against Veterans' Healthcare—Full List (newsweek.com): https://www.newsweek.com/41-senate-republicans-voted-against-veterans-health-care-1728613

However, 47 Democrats, 8 Republicans, and 2 Independents voted in favor of the bill to support veterans exposed to burn pits whose health has suffered.   Plus, 1 Democrat voted no due to senate procedures, and 2 Democrats and 1 Republican Abstained. 

 

 

Up Vote Up Vote ×

From the article:

"While not all Republican senators who voted against the bill talked publicly of why they did so, Republican Sen. Toomey said on the Senate floor that he voted against the bill because it would create $400 billion in unrelated spending.

"My concern about this bill has nothing to do with the purpose of the bill," Toomey said. "This budgetary gimmick is so unrelated to the actual veterans issue that has to do with burn pits, that it's not even in the House version of this bill."

Here is another article:

https://idahocapitalsun.com/2022/07/27/u-s-senate-fails-to-advance-burn-pits-bill-for-veterans-in-dispute-over-spending/

Your headline misrepresents the situation.

 

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CRNA, Finally retired.
On 7/29/2022 at 12:59 AM, SummerGarden said:

41 Republican senators who have government-run fully covered health care, voted against veterans today (no surprise) ... here is the list:   

These 41 Senate Republicans Voted Against Veterans' Healthcare—Full List (newsweek.com): https://www.newsweek.com/41-senate-republicans-voted-against-veterans-health-care-1728613

However, 47 Democrats, 8 Republicans, and 2 Independents voted in favor of the bill to support veterans exposed to burn pits whose health has suffered.   Plus, 1 Democrat voted no due to senate procedures, and 2 Democrats and 1 Republican Abstained. 

 

 

These guys have no limits to their lack of ability to solve anything.  Let's just pick on sick veterans this week just because we CAN.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
On 7/28/2022 at 9:14 PM, Beerman said:

From the article:

"While not all Republican senators who voted against the bill talked publicly of why they did so, Republican Sen. Toomey said on the Senate floor that he voted against the bill because it would create $400 billion in unrelated spending.

"My concern about this bill has nothing to do with the purpose of the bill," Toomey said. "This budgetary gimmick is so unrelated to the actual veterans issue that has to do with burn pits, that it's not even in the House version of this bill."

Here is another article:

https://idahocapitalsun.com/2022/07/27/u-s-senate-fails-to-advance-burn-pits-bill-for-veterans-in-dispute-over-spending/

Your headline misrepresents the situation.

 

Maybe it depends upon the point of view 

Quote

The bill — like many issues related to veterans' health — had amassed deep bipartisan support, and easily passed the Senate by an 84-14 vote in June. But a technical error required another vote, and this time, more than two dozen Republicans switched sides. The final tally was 55-42 (with three senators abstaining), falling short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.

https://www.npr.org/2022/07/29/1114417097/veterans-burn-pit-bill-republican-senators

Maybe the no votes were a bit of political theater that's not playing well with the public. 

Quote

But those same spending concerns didn't seem to pose an initial concern for the more than two dozen Republicans who voted for it last month only to abruptly change their stance. They are: Sens. John Barrasso, Marsha Blackburn, Roy Blunt, Mike Braun, Bill Cassidy, John Cornyn, Tom Cotton, Kevin Cramer, Ted Cruz, Joni Ernst, Deb Fischer, Bill Hagerty, Josh Hawley, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Jim Inhofe, Ron Johnson, John Kennedy, Roger Marshall, Mitch McConnell, Rob Portman, Ben Sasse, Tim Scott, Rick Scott, Dan Sullivan and Todd Young. Sens. Additionally, Sens. Steve Daines and Roger Wicker voted against the bill after not voting in June.

"Every single one has pictures with veterans on their facebook pages, on their websites," said Susan Zeier, Heath Robinson's mother-in-law, outside the Capitol as her 9-year-old granddaughter wept nearby. "Well, screw that, they don't support veterans. If you won't vote on this bill, you do not support veterans."

Some of those senators are veterans themselves.

"Spending concerns" seems a convenient but poorly supported excuse. 

2
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Sen. Toomey leaving 2023.  PA Republicans not liking Dr. Oz;  expected to flip to Democrats--  Lt. Gov.  Fetterman getting a cross isle support.  

2
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CNA telemetry progressive care ICU.

Recommend reading “Don’t Tread on me, I Tread on you.”

Message of the Republican Party

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Public Health, TB.

An opinion column from Jennifer Rubin today:

https://wapo.st/3QaAaGZ

She describes Jon Stewart responding to the GOP rejection of the PACT act, a bill most of them supported in June. 

Quote

 

In the days since the GOP stalled the bill, Stewart was unflinching. Hewent in front of cameras on Thursday to express what many Americans were feeling. Regarding Republicans’ about-face on the bill, Stewart saidhe was used to the “hypocrisy," “lies” and “cowardice” of politicians, but “I am not used to the cruelty.”

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) offered a patently false excuse that the bill would create “pork.” In fact, the funds are delineated for a specific purpose. As Stewart tweeted: “The PACT Act is a stand alone bill. The PACT Act has no spending unrelated to Veteran’s Health and Benefits. There is no ‘Pork.’ There is no budget maneuver that then allows Dems to backfill [with] whatever they want.”

 

Quote

Stewart is a gifted communicator. His basic approach — righteous anger, blunt language, mastery of the facts, determination to call out the GOP’s bad faith — is something all Democrats should follow, whether the topic is veterans’ health, abortion, the Jan. 6 insurrection, guns, climate change or just about anything else. Enough is enough.

 

3
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Quote

The Senate on Tuesday approved a bill to create a new entitlement program to treat veterans who may have been exposed to toxic substances from burning trash pits on U.S. military bases, sending President Biden legislation that would expand medical care eligibility to an estimated 3.5 million people.

The bill was approved on a lopsided bipartisan vote, 86 to 11, only days after Republicans pulled their support in a dispute over how to pay for the benefits, imperiling the legislation and drawing days of angry protests from veterans who gathered outside the Capitol to demand action.

[...]

Senate Passes Bill to Expand Benefits for Veterans Exposed to Burn Pits

3
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency.
10 hours ago, chare said:

Senate Passes Bill to Expand Benefits for Veterans Exposed to Burn Pits

Seems like the short lived opposition to the bill, after initially voting for it, will allow for superb attack ads. The gop claims to support veterans, then plays political games with their health care funding. 

3
Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment