Service + Solidarity Spotlight: UVC Slams Senators for Blocking Veterans’ Health Care Legislation

Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

A minority of senators on Wednesday filibustered the Honoring Our PACT Act, a bill to expand health care for military veterans who were exposed to toxins and burn pits. Despite a bipartisan majority in favor of passing the bill, the U.S. Senate was not able to garner the 60 votes necessary to move it forward to final passage. Union Veterans Council (UVC) Executive Director Will Attig (UA) ripped the anti-worker senators who voted to block the bill, including Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania who called it a budgetary gimmick.

“Any politician who views getting veterans the timely access to health care services and benefits they deserve as a gimmick is a national disgrace,” Attig said on Thursday. “We call on anyone that supports our veterans’ community to call their senators and tell them that the American people truly care about our nation’s heroes and to pass the PACT Act before it is too late.”

After the vote, veterans advocate and comedian Jon Stewart eviscerated the hypocritical senators who praise America’s veterans one minute, then vote against them the next. Click here to watch his viral speech.