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Republican senators Ted Cruz, Steve Daines and several others are being mocked on social media platforms after being seen fist-bumping each other as GOP tanked a veteran Healthcare Bill.
Reportedly, the senate had gathered to vote on the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act which would have expanded the healthcare facilities and coverage to millions of military veterans exposed to toxic burn pits during their service.
The bill had received ‘broadly bipartisan’ support up until now. However, when the senate gathered to vote, it was blocked by the Republicans. 41 out of the 42 senators to vote against the bill were from the GOP.
After the vote, Texas senator Ted Cruz, Montana senator Steve Daines along with others were seen fist bumping and congratulating each other by shaking hands. The video of the incident was posted on the microblogging platform Twitter and immediately gained traction.
Senate Republicans BLOCKED the #PACTAct, critical health care for veterans with illness caused by toxic burn pits.
Even though many Republicans supported it just weeks ago.
And they celebrated. pic.twitter.com/fAWIVrwB0A
— Senate Democrats (@SenateDems) July 28, 2022
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Most of the netizens were of the view that the GOP senators should have kept their political differences aside and voted for a bill that was for the benefit of the veterans who protected the country.
After the controversy snowballed, Ted Cruz’s office released a statement saying:
“Senator Cruz is a strong supporter of the PACT Act and our nation’s veterans. However, this version of the PACT Act contains an irresponsible Democratic provision allowing Congress to recklessly spend an additional $400 billion on programs totally unrelated to our veterans.”
It is pertinent to note that last month, 25 senators backed and supported the bill. The sudden u-turn of the senators suggests that it was another attempt by the GOP to settle political scores.
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The PACT Act came into being after the death of Ohio soldier Heath Robinson in 2020. The army veteran was deployed in Kosovo and Iraq during his military days. However, the excessive exposure to burn pits led Robison to develop a rare form of lung cancer, which ultimately became the cause of his death.
(With inputs from agencies)
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