Diamondhead Marine Scott Duncan is following the PACT Veterans Act, which failed to advance this week. Duncan said political maneuvering is getting in the way of helping veterans. “You have veterans dying day in and day out who need the help and we have to get through that to be able to help a lot of veterans. It’s just inexcusable for it not to go through,” Duncan said. “I honestly think it’s a political backdoor because the bill originally passed 84-14. Then all of a sudden all these Republican senators vote no and want to talk about it. Well, it was already resolved on June 16th. They voted for it. Now they’re stepping back and putting politics before veterans and their families, and that’s not fair.” We asked Mississippi’s senators to explain what happened. Senator Roger Wicker gave WLOX the following statement: “I want every veteran in Mississippi to know that I am fighting for them in Congress. The PACT Act is going to be a big step forward for veterans who have been denied their benefits for too long. Senate Republicans, myself included, are also fighting to ensure that this legislation is not siphoned off by Democrats to spend billions of dollars on Democratic priorities unrelated to veterans benefits. To prevent that from happening, Senator (Pat) Toomey offered a simple amendment clarifying that this act would only authorize funding for veterans. The Congressional Budget Office has confirmed that this amendment will not affect the benefits veterans receive one single dollar. I support the Toomey amendment, which is why Senator Hyde-Smith and I joined 39 other Republicans in voting to continue considering this bill. I know senators are working to secure this change early next week. I want to see this bill passed as soon as possible – but as always, we have to get it right. We owe it to our veterans and their families to cut unnecessary spending and get this legislation ready for final passage.” Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith echoed that sentiment in a statement, saying she “fully supports the veterans benefits offered by the PACT Act. However, the senator’s previous votes against Tester supersede the amendment in HR 3967 and for the final vote in June reflect her concerns about how to fund the bill. Her July 27 vote against cloture on the new version, S.3373, is a continuation of those concerns about discretionary versus mandatory spending. Senator Hyde-Smith is very concerned about the Senate having a final product that will be of greatest benefit to veterans.” You can read the entire bill HERE. Want more WLOX news in your inbox? Click here to register in our newsletter. Copyright 2022 WLOX. All rights reserved.
