[ad_1]
youngNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
The White House pushed back the signing of the landmark PACT bill by two days after Republicans came under fire for delaying the package over spending concerns.
After initially saying the bill signing would take place on Monday, the White House moved the signing to Wednesday, August 10.
President Biden has been in isolation due to COVID-19, but signed two bills Friday at a socially distanced outdoor event.
Veterans advocates are pushing for passage of the PACT Act, a $278.5 billion bill that would make the federal government responsible for the health care and compensation of veterans battling the effects of toxic exposure.
SUPREME COURT RULES IN FAVOR OF VETERAN IN BURNS IN SEIZURE CASE
“This bill will expand access to health care and VA benefits for toxically exposed veterans and their survivors, improve care and increase research on toxic exposures, and provide VA with significant resources to to serve veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors.” the White House said.
Veterans and their families camped outside the US Capitol are urging the Senate to pass the PACT Act.
(Kelly Laco/Fox News Digital)
The president promised to sign the bill into law soon after arriving at the White House, saying the matter is personal to him and his family.
The military has used burn pits to get rid of household garbage as well as more toxic substances such as paint, metals, plastics and human waste. Fires burning toxic chemicals were often located close to where service members lived and worked overseas.
SENATE PASSES BURN PITS LEGISLATION AFTER PARTY BRAGGING
“When they came home, many of the strongest and best-trained warriors we’ve ever had weren’t the same: headaches, numbness, dizziness, cancer. My son Bo was one of them.” Biden said at a White House event in June.
President Biden signs two bills aimed at combating fraud in the COVID-19 small business relief programs at the White House in Washington on Friday, August 5, 2022.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool)
The Senate voted 84-14 last month in favor of the PACT Act, with a majority in both Parliament and Senate. It represents the most comprehensive veterans health care reform to date, creating a purported link of services for veterans who became seriously ill after inhaling toxic fumes hanging over their overseas bases, including Iraq and Afghanistan.
The bill returned to the House, which recently voted on a revised version, but the vote was delayed by Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., who argued that $400 billion was already in the discretionary spending budget and was being moved to the mandatory budget spending would be nothing more than a “trick” to avoid spending caps.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Comedian John Stewart disputed the Republicans’ claims on the bill, insisting that “not one word” was added to the copy of the bill that passed in an 84-14 vote in the Senate in June. However, one sentence was omitted when the bill went to the House, Stewart said, but it was a provision about rural VA providers and was unrelated to Republicans’ mandatory spending concerns.
“Not one word was added to the copy of the bill that this Senate passed 84-14. So this is not a matter of opinion. It’s not a matter of me saying it. It’s a matter of record,” he said. “The delay has been long enough. It’s been 15 years. We’ve lost friends along the way and we refuse to lose any more.”
Fox News’ Perry Chiaramonte, Liz Friden and Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link
