Toomey trashed Democrats for trying to paint him as an anti-veteran for blocking the bill and Stewart, who has been at the forefront of the problem.
“First of all, it’s the oldest thing in Washington,” Toomey said. who have been exposed to poisonous chemicals, draw up a bill to solve their problems, and then sneak in anything absolutely independent that they know will never happen on its own and challenge Republicans to do something about it. Because they know they will let him pass from his allies in the media and maybe a pseudo-celebrity to make up false accusations to verify that we swallow what shouldn’t be there. “
BIDEN CONNECTS VIA FACETIME WITH VETERANS EXPOSED TO BURNT WELLS: THERE IS A “SACRED OBLIGATION” TO HELP THEM
“Let me be very clear,” he said. Republicans are not opposed to any substance of the PACT Act. My righteous Democratic colleagues will fully acknowledge my objection and, if I get my money, it won’t replace a penny of spending on a veterans program. What I’m looking to do is replace a government accounting method designed to allow our Democratic colleagues to embark on a $400 billion spending spree that has nothing to do with veterans and possibly wouldn’t be in the veterans’ space.
Sen. PAT TOOMEY HAS FINAL APPROVAL OF BURN PIT VETERANS AID PACKAGE, CITING SPENDING CONCERNS
“They may have accepted this a month ago and this bill would be approved at any time,” he added. “When we remove this fully independent provision with a value of $400 on the bill, I will vote for the bill. “
The Senate voted 84-14 last month in favor of the PACT Act, with a majority vote in both the House and Senate. It represents the ultimate comprehensive reform of veterans’ physical health care to date, building a purported service connection for critically ill veterans after inhaling poisonous vapors that rise above their overseas bases, and add to Iraq and Afghanistan.
The bill went back to the House, which recently approved a revised version, but the additional approval was delayed by Toomey, who argued that there was already a $400 bill allocated in discretionary estimates, and that moving it to mandatory estimates would be nothing more than a “trick” to avoid spending caps.
Officials at Senator Toomey’s workplace also cited a provision they said was added to the PACT Act just before the bill was debated in the Senate, which stipulated that any discretionary budget budget similar to combustion stoves can be classified as a mandatory expense. They told Fox News that their amendment was only intended to prevent existing discretionary spending, regardless of the PACT Act, from being transferred to mandatory estimates. Any new discretionary investment similar to exposure to poison-burning stoves can still be carried over to the mandatory budget.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough, who made the impression after Toomey on “State of the Union,” said the senator’s amendment would lead to rationing of physical care for veterans.
“The ($400B) fund is in the bill so that we can ensure … that all this spending for this program is for the veterans exposed to these toxins,” McDonough said. “And so he says it won’t impact our programming – in good conscience, I don’t see that to be the case. In fact, he puts a year-on-year cap on what we spend, and then at the end of 10 years, the fund goes away under his amendment. So the impact of that would be, if his estimations are wrong about what will spend in any given year, that means that we may have to ration care for veterans. And by the way, that’s not something I’ll sign up to.”
Toomey blasted McDonough’s comments on Twitter.
During an appearance on ABC News’ “This Week” Sunday, Stewart said Toomey’s stalling on the bill is “bananas.”
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“Toomey’s amendment is about limiting the fund,” Stewart explained. “It’s about putting ceilings and giving it a sunset clause for 10 years. We’ve gotten over that, and what Toomey’s amendment needs to do is make sure we have health issues. “and the dying veterans are certain that our Sept. 11 first responders at Ground Zero had to return to Washington, hat in hand, riddled with cancer and parade through the halls of the Hill begging for money. “
“I mean, it’s all been, it’s so many bananas,” he added. Nothing has changed, so I don’t perceive any of this. “
Perry Chiaramonte of Fox News contributed to this report.
Jessica Chasmar is a Fox News reporter Digital. La story can be sent to Jessica. Chasmar@fox. com and on Twitter: @JessicaChasmar.