WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following Senate Republicans blocking the widely bipartisan Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined Ohioan Susan Zeier, mother-in-law of Heath Robinson, and other Ohio veterans, to push for immediate passage of the PACT Act. They were joined by U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester (D-MT), Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12), House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano (D-CA-41), and Senate and House colleagues, veterans service organizations (VSOs), veterans advocate Jon Stewart, and former United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin. This bill previously passed the Senate by a large margin with a vote of 84-14 and was being reconsidered in the Senate due to a technical error during initial passage. Thursday, the cloture vote on the toxic exposure legislation failed by a vote of 55-42.
After previously voting for the bill, 25 Republicans changed their vote to vote against the PACT Act on Thursday.
“Millions of men and women – patriots like Heath Robinson – served this nation without asking once what was in it for them,” said Senator Brown. “Senate Republicans thanked them for their service by using them and their families as a bargaining chip in their latest political game. Their gimmick will not work – we’re going to make good on our promise to veterans.”
“The fabric of our nation is built on the shared truth that we honor and care for our service members and veterans who have given everything to serve our nation. Our Republican colleagues chose to play politics with the lives and well-being of these brave men and women,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Just six weeks ago we collectively passed the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act with overwhelming bipartisan support to give our veterans the health care and benefits they have earned. Now, 25 Republicans are holding our service members hostage for the sake of politics. The lives of our veterans are on the line, and these senators’ actions are an utter disgrace.”
“Dozens of Senate Republicans turned their backs on our nation’s veterans and their families by voting against the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act,” said Senator Tester, Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “It was unacceptable and a slap in the face to every member of our all-volunteer military—those who served and sacrificed with the promise they would be taken care of when they returned home. My colleagues can make up all sorts of excuses as to why they decided to change their vote for this bill, but the bottom line is, veterans will suffer and die as a result on behalf of these excuses, and that’s why we’ve got to pass this bill.”
