Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Thursday took to the U.S. Senate floor to slam Senate Republicans for blocking passage of the Honoring our PACT Act, legislation to expand health care benefits for veterans. The bill passed last month by a vote of 84-14, but due to a procedural error, on Wednesday night the Senate took a vote to fix the error, which failed by a vote of 55 to 42.
Tillis rejected the law because it directed the Veterans Administration to oversee the implementation of the act. The VA, in its own words, told lawmakers it was already overburdened with current obligations.
The senators — Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley of Missouri, and Roger Marshall of Kansas — voted against blocking a filibuster of the PACT Act, a measure designed to provide funding to treat veterans exposed to toxins and burn pits.
Both Sens. Thom Tillis and Richard Burr, who represent North Carolina, were among the group that prevented the bill from moving forward, even though they had helped write portions of it.
And Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he would schedule another procedural vote to break a GOP filibuster on Monday, trying to force the Republicans to let it pass. As of Thursday afternoon, Schumer had not formally scheduled a vote for Monday but has the ability to call for a vote at any time.