DIAMONDHEAD, Miss. (WLOX) – Two U.S. senators from Mississippi want veterans to know they support a bill increasing VA benefits for those exposed to chemicals, but they say a funding error must be fixed first.
Diamondhead Marine Scott Duncan is following the Veterans Pact Act, which failed to move forward this week. Duncan said political maneuvering is getting in the way of helping veterans.
“You have veterans who are dying day in and day out and they need help, and we have to accept that so we can help a lot of veterans. It’s just inexcusable for it not to go through,” Duncan said. “Frankly, I think it’s backroom politics because the bill originally passed 84-14. Then all of a sudden all these Republican senators vote against it and want to debate it. Well that was already decided on June 16th. They voted for it. Now they’re going back and putting politics before veterans and their families, and that’s not fair.
We asked Mississippi senators to explain what happened. Senator Roger Wicker provided WLOX with the following statement:
“I want every veteran in Mississippi to know that I am fighting for them in Congress. The PACT Act would be a great step forward for veterans who have been denied their benefits for too long. Senate Republicans, myself included, are also fighting to ensure that this legislation is not hijacked by Democrats to spend billions of dollars on Democratic priorities unrelated to veterans benefits. To prevent that from happening, Senator (Pat) Toomey offered a simple amendment clarifying that this act would only authorize funding for veterans. The Congressional Budget Office has confirmed that this amendment will not affect the benefits that veterans receive by one dollar. I support Toomey’s amendment, which is why Senator Hyde-Smith and I joined 39 other Republicans in voting to proceed with this bill. I know the senators are working to secure that change early next week. I want to see this bill passed as soon as possible – but as always, we need to get it right. We owe it to our veterans and their families to reduce unrelated costs and prepare this legislation for final passage.
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith echoed that sentiment in a statement saying she “fully supports the veterans benefits offered by the PACT Act; however, the senator’s previous votes against the Tester substitute amendment to HR 3967 and moving to a final vote in June reflect her concerns about how the bill is funded. Her vote on July 27 against the shutdown of the new version, S.3373, was an extension of those concerns about discretionary versus mandatory spending. Senator Hyde-Smith is very eager for the Senate to have an end product that will be of greatest benefit to veterans.
You can read the full bill HERE.
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