Ted Cruz votes for veterans health care bill after fierce criticism

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz voted to advance federal laws increasing health care protections for sure army veterans after fierce criticism for voting to delay its passage final week.

The U.S. Senate handed laws Tuesday that may assist present care for veterans uncovered to poisonous burn pits.

While a number of Republicans delayed the bill’s passage as a result of they mentioned Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wouldn’t permit amendments, Cruz sparked specific ire after being seen fist bumping Sen. Steve Daines on the Senate ground after the Republican Montanan voted towards advancing the bill.

“While I ultimately supported the bill, because we need to take care of our veterans who have sacrificed so much to keep us safe, I’m disappointed that we couldn’t come together to fix the Democrat-created budget gimmick that will allow Congress to subsequently spend another $400 billion in pork, on top of and completely unrelated to the laudable funding in this bill for veterans harmed by burn pits,” Cruz mentioned in a press release after Tuesday’s vote.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, Texas’ different Republican senator, additionally delayed its passage final week to permit ground time for amendments, however wasn’t the goal of as a lot criticism as Cruz. Cornyn maintained his help for the bill itself.

The bill is without doubt one of the largest expansions of veteran health care in many years, extending the period of time veterans who served close to burn pits obtain enhanced Department of Veteran Affairs health care protection and reducing the burden to get incapacity funds associated to the poisonous publicity. Burn pits have been generally used for waste disposal by the U.S. army in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The delay within the bill’s passage led to vehement outcries from veterans, a lot of whom have camped outdoors the Capitol to demand senators vote on the bundle.

“No veteran who has sacrificed for our country should ever have to resort to spending the night on the Capitol steps to secure their benefits, but sadly in this case they have,” Schumer mentioned from the Senate ground Monday. “It is unfortunate that our Republican colleagues chose to block quick passage of this bill last week, even though this is the exact same piece of legislation many of them supported in June, with one small technical fix.”

The House and Senate each voted to move their variations of the bill on broadly bipartisan phrases earlier this yr. In the earlier Senate vote, Cornyn and Cruz voted for the bill. But when the Senate went to vote on the ultimate legislative textual content, Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania raised considerations over budgeting mechanisms and led a bunch of friends to dam the bill till his modification might get a vote. Cruz and Cornyn then joined in with different Republicans in demanding a vote on Toomey’s modification earlier than letting it go additional. The modification didn’t meet the 60-vote threshold to move Tuesday, however Cruz nonetheless voted for the bill’s passage.

Cornyn is at present isolating with COVID-19, which barred him from voting Tuesday night time as a result of senators have to be bodily current to vote on the ground. But he issued a press release.

“I’m glad Majority Leader Schumer reversed his decision to block amendment votes on this landmark legislation, and I look forward to President Biden signing it into law soon,” the assertion learn.

Comedian Jon Stewart joined protesters in Washington in current days, decrying the Republican strikes as partisan gimmicks to carry up what must be an uncontroversial bill. Republicans stay livid over Democrats’ shock deal on a reconciliation bundle that features billions in tax credit and investments for local weather and health care, which Democrats are scrambling to move earlier than leaving for the August recess.

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