*Note added after this story published: This post mirrored commentary I shared on the radio Tuesday morning. Tuesday afternoon the US Senate passed the PACT Act.

If Senators Jon Tester (D-MT) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) are such big supporters of the PACT Act, why did they sabotage the bill by not allowing the agreed upon amendments to move forward? Why did they also prioritize Green New Deal spending and massive tax hikes over veterans healthcare legislation?

As a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, a life member of the VFW, and a member of the American Legion, I am pleased to see the huge bipartisan support for the toxic exposure bill that has been advancing on Capitol Hill. The PACT Act deals mainly with the burn pits that many of us were exposed to on multiple deployments.

The PACT Act appeared to be ready for final passage in the US Senate. Both parties were actually working together on something. Democrat Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) and Republican Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) had agreed upon two amendments that would be included with final passage of the PACT Act. New York Senator Chuck Schumer, the Senate's Democrat leader, blocked the amendments and Jon Tester let him get away with tanking the legislation. (See the CNN report screenshot below)

Why did Schumer and Tester tank the PACT Act? It seems obvious now- so they could shamelessly turn it into a political issue ahead of the November elections.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) responded directly to liberal comedian Jon Stewart, who tried to blame Republicans for stalling the PACT Act. If you missed it, check out this great writeup at National Review where they quote Cruz' response to Stewart:

Sen. Cruz: The bill gives a $400B blank check—separate from vets care—for unrelated pork that will supercharge inflation. I support the PACT Act & the $679.4B it would dedicate to vets. It’s ppl trying to use PACT to shovel more pork who are exploiting vets. (Video below)

Here's my take. This is the same Jon Tester and Chuck Schumer that are allowing military troops to be kicked to the curb over an unnecessary vaccine mandate that doesn't even stop people from spreading nor getting COVID-19. These are the same senators who are allowing volunteer veteran drivers with the DAV to also be kicked to the curb.

That's why when I see Jon Tester bloviate on the floor of the United States Senate about a veterans health care bill, I know that it is a pure political stunt. I know that Jon Tester and Chuck Schumer deliberately tanked the veterans health bill so they can make it look like they really care about veterans and those mean Republicans don't.

Jon Tester, it is you and your administration, and your buddies that are kicking veterans to the curb, that are kicking veteran drivers to the curb, that are kicking military service personnel to the curb. Jon Tester it is you that is responsible for shutting down seven nursing homes in Montana. So spare us the bloviating stunt on the floor of the United States Senate and get the PACT Act passed with no more shenanigans.

 

LOOK: What 25 Historic Battlefields Look Like Today

The following is an examination of what became of the sites where America waged its most important and often most brutal campaigns of war. Using a variety of sources, Stacker selected 25 historically significant battlefields in American history. For each one, Stacker investigated what happened there when the battles raged as well as what became of those hallowed grounds when the fighting stopped.

These are the battlefields that defined the United States military’s journey from upstart Colonial rebels to an invincible global war machine.

 

 

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