Two Republican senators from Alabama voted this week against the largest increase in veterans’ health benefits in more than 30 years.
The bill passed the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly on Tuesday.but alabama Senators Tommy Tuberville and Richard Shelby opposed the bill, arguing in statements to the media that they were veteran members of Congress, and that the so-called “burnpit” bill was a “liberal wish.” list”
Approved by the Senate by an 86-11 vote, the bill allocates $280 billion over the next decade to treating veterans suffering from illnesses related to exposure to toxic substances from burning military base garbage dumps. is predicted.
Democrats and other critics believe the Republicans who voted against the bill were playing up veterans’ health and politics in retaliation for an unrelated deal by Senate Democrats to authorize massive climate action. I’m here.
More than 60 veterans’ organizations, including VFW and the American Legion, supported the action.
“Their vote is a slap in the face of sick veterans who need medical care right now,” said Alabama Democratic Deputy Executive Director Devin Kenamar. and would gladly send them off to war, but when it came to providing the actual medical care they needed, they turned their backs on those who served us.”
Rare parliamentary split
The bill’s vote also represented a rare split on a key issue among Alabama’s Republicans. Tuberville and Shelby voted against “respecting the 2022 PACT Act,” while three House Republicans (Rep. Robert Aderholt of Haleyville, Rep. Jerry Carle of Mobile, and Rep. Barry Moore of Enterprise) , voted in favor of a similar bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives. last month. Alabama’s only Democrat, Terry Sewell of Birmingham, also voted in favor.
Republican Congressmen Gary Palmer of Alabama Hoover, Moe Brooks of Huntsville, and Mike Rogers of Saks voted against.
The Alabama Republicans who voted for the bill have not publicly criticized their Senate counterparts.
Rep. Jerry Carr of R-Mobile speaks with attendees at the Mobile Chamber breakfast at the Battle House Renaissance Hotel & Spa in downtown Mobile, Alabama, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022 (John Sharp/jsharp@al.com) ) .
“They have reasons to vote the way they did,” Karl said. “I can only answer by myself”
After an appearance on Wednesday’s Mobile, Karl said the high potential costs of the bill made it “a tough bill to vote for” when it went to the House. On the 13th, it voted 342 to 88 in favor of the bill.
In an op-ed last month, Tuberville criticized the legislation for being “very broadly written without cost offsets” and predicted it would cost Americans at least “$1 trillion in the long run.”
“You’re free to decide on the cost. I think that’s why I saw as many downvotes as you did,” Karl said. “No one wants help (expanding medical benefits for veterans). But Washington gets very creative in interpreting who wants to spend money if there are no restrictions.”
Tuberville also said the law would allow sick veterans to wait longer for medical care at a veterans hospital, and veterans suffering from toxic burn pit disease would be treated at local non-VA hospitals. Nearly 80% of the VA workforce are employees in the bargaining department.
“This could have been done better…it could have been done better for veterans,” said Tuberville. “This place[Washington, D.C.]is just throwing money at a problem and hoping it works.”
Karl said he wished the House had waited until January to vote after the November election.
“[Republicans]would have written it and improved it,” Carl said, adding, “There was no way I could vote against it.”
Reverse vote?not alabama
Veterans, Military Families, and Advocates, along with activist Jon Stewart, told Senate Republicans that it was designed to help the millions of veterans exposed to toxic substances during military service. I am asking you to change your vote on the bill. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)APs
Republicans voted to pass the bill on July 27, following vehement criticism by former “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart and images of angry veterans camping outside the Capitol. After voting against it, the PACT Act was passed by a vote of 55 to 42 on July 27. It took 60 votes to pass the bill.
Republicans, led by Republican Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, last week complained about the high cost, arguing that Democrats had inserted a clause to reclassify $400 billion in spending from discretionary to mandatory.
The July 27 vote overturned the passage of the Burn Pit Bill, which passed 84-14 in June. Shelby and Tuberville also voted against the bill at the time.
In a statement, Shelby argued that the PACT Act could create spending opportunities for unrelated issues. Democrats dispute these claims, saying the money will only be used for veterans.
A Shelby spokeswoman said the senator had no problem with what the bill would do to veterans. .
“Throughout my career, I have remained a strong advocate for veterans,” Shelby tweeted late Tuesday, noting that the bill would reclassify “approximately $400 billion in (veterans administration) funds.” , said it allows Democrats to “spend it on their liberals.” wish list. ”
Democrats and veterans said most Republicans who voted against the package on July 27 did so as political retaliation for the deal Senate Democrats agreed to on the massive climate change, health care and tax policy bill. claimed to have been
Phil Brown, director of the Institute for Social Sciences, Environmental Health at Northeastern University in Boston, said he believes Republican concerns about the cost of the bill were “largely an excuse.” He said the real reason for his “no” vote was that he “didn’t like the fact that the Democrats won.”
“Veterans are demonstrating in Washington and the[media]report that[Texas Senator]Ted Cruz punched people with his fists after he overthrew this bill was very bad coverage.” said Brown, referring to the Senate’s July 27 vote. “It was very interesting to see how quickly it turned around.”
In fact, like the overwhelming majority of Republicans, Cruise flipped on Tuesday. But Tuberville and Shelby weren’t.
Only three states had both senators voted against a bill that would expand medical entitlements to an estimated 3.5 million veterans. Except for Alabama, his two senators from Idaho and Utah joined the opposition.
Alabama has more veterans per capita than Idaho or Utah. An estimated 377,000 veterans live in the state, which is more than the number of veterans living in Idaho and Utah combined.
Regina Wagner, assistant professor of political science at the University of Alabama, said, “Given the visible protests from veterans’ groups, I’m sure Republicans, including those in Alabama, have hurt themselves by the opposition.
Democrats are on the rise. In a statement to his AL.com, Sewell said he was “disappointed” by his Republican colleagues, accusing them of “playing a political game with the health and well-being of veterans.”
Democratic Senator Will Boyd, who faces an uphill battle with Republican Katie Britt, said she would “fully support” a similar healthcare bill for veterans if elected.
A representative of the Britt campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
“There is no reason why the men and women who choose to risk their lives for our country and freedom should be denied the treatment they so desperately need,” Boyd said. “As a Democratic Senate candidate in a state with more than 377,000 veterans, I fully support this bill and other legislation to provide additional, high-quality medical care for veterans exposed to toxic substances while serving in the military. will support.”
Tuberville and Veterans
Senate Health, Education, Work and Pensions Committee hearing to examine federal response to Covid-19 and emerging variants on January 11, 2022 in Capitol Hill, Washington, DC Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama questions a witness at (Photo by Shawn THEW / POOL / AFP) (Photo by SHAWN THEW/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)Poole/AFP via Getty Images
For much of the 2020 Senate election, Tuberville touted that veterans supported his candidacy. The issue was also one of the few that sent him into a political frenzy in the Republican primary.
In August 2019, Tuberville famously said he was “mad” at then-President Donald Trump about the state of VA facilities across the country. A campaign ad criticized Tuberville for denouncing a popular former president in Alabama.
Tuberville later said he wanted to meet with Trump to discuss his concerns about what he said made it difficult for Alabama veterans to access VA facilities.
“Veterans are my number one priority.
Ahead of the 2020 election, the Veterans Affairs Foundation in Tuberville also came under scrutiny after it was revealed that less than a third of its funding went to veterans groups.
A spokeswoman for Tuberville said the senator continues to make “substantial donations” to his foundation, adding that “the proper decision to turn over control of the foundation to the board and deprive the veterans’ organization of its authority to award awards will be made.” We are taking steps,” he said.
The spokesperson continued that it was Tuberville’s understanding that “the board is in the process of evaluating candidates with a view to presenting the award this fall.”
The Tuberville office provided a list of bills the first-term senators have worked on related to veterans’ care since taking office in early 2021. One bill is the Service Members Group Life Insurance (SGLI) and Veterans Group Life Insurance (VGLI) programs. Both plans will raise coverage caps for the first time since 2005.
Another bill being promoted by the Tuberville office would change the wording used on official VA and Department of Defense forms to allow military personnel to transfer GI bill benefits to dependents when they choose to do so. Clarify what information you need.
The senator’s office also says Tuberville supports federal legislation allowing hyperbaric oxygen therapy as a treatment option for veterans suffering from PTSD and other brain injuries. He also supports legislation that allows families and beneficiaries of deceased veterans to recover stolen dollars.
Alabama political commentators do not believe Tuberville or other Alabama legislators voting against the PACT law will face political backlash.
“When it comes to political impact, the risk is virtually zero,” said Stephen Taylor, a professor of political science at Troy University. “No single issue has the potential to change the voter base.”
